Unsung
by Qym
Summary: Miley wrote a song that she's not sure she can perform. It's a love song... for Lilly. How will Lilly react? But getting the girl is only the tip of the iceberg. Eventual Liley.
1. Getting It On Paper

**My disclaimer is that I own not the show nor the characters, but merely wish to. My warning is that this will end up a in homosexual relationship. Lilly/Miley. I doubt there will be strong language, but there may, eventually, be nudity. (Gasp, I know). I have the next 30 or so pages of this story prewritten, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you. Please, leave a review.**

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_After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music._ - Aldous Huxley

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The guitar, she felt, was mocking her. It was perfectly in tune and yet she couldn't make it sound just how she wanted it to. Each sweet tang was torture – it sounded right but she couldn't fathom the right words to put to it. The song she was trying to write was very important to her and it needed to be perfect. This single song could make or break a relationship. It needed to be clear and concise, almost blunt, but at the same time she wanted every word to come directly from her heart.

She strummed the guitar's taut strings idly, gazing out at the ocean. It glittered in the fading sunlight. She was seated on the bench on the back porch enjoying the cool salt air and the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the shore. As her father had told her so many times, it was a great place to think.

Speaking of her father, he and Jackson were out in the front shooting hoops and Miley could vaguely hear Jackson's indignant howls as Robby Ray continuously stopped him from scoring. It brought a small smile to her face; Jackson probably wished he'd never told Robby to stop taking it easy on him.

Her thoughts turned to the subject matter for her newest song; unconsciously she smiled at her memories. There was just something cheery about that smile, those sparkling eyes, that loose blonde hair. Lately it was hard to look at her crush without wanting to run her fingers across that tanned skin, kiss those inviting lips. But currently acting on those impulses would be detrimental to the friendship she shared with Lilly.

She hummed a few chords under her breath before opening her mouth. It was disappointing – she expected at least a few lines of something useful to pop out, but nothing did. Frustrated, she went back to strumming the strings and thinking quietly. So deep in thought was she that she didn't see Robby Ray settle down next to her, spinning a basketball between his thumbs.

"Mile, what are you doing out here?"

His voice snapped her to attention and the faint guitar music ceased. She smiled sheepishly up at her father.

"Thinking, mostly."

"Trying to write a song?" He held onto the ball and tried spinning it on one finger with mild success.

"Trying." Miley eased the instrument off her lap and onto the ground by her feet. "Not succeeding, really."

"What's the occasion?" He rolled the basketball back towards the house. "No new recordings coming up, no birthdays, no holidays." He took the guitar and strummed a few bars.

"It's complicated." She wrung her hands nervously in her lap. This wasn't something she wanted to discuss with her dad just yet.

"I'm listening." He lazily tossed an arm over her shoulders, awkwardly giving her a hug.

"It's for someone special. A song that nobody else will hear. I just can't put how I feel into words. It's really frustrating! It's not supposed to be this hard…" She leaned her head on his chest.

"So it's a love song, eh?"

Miley blushed, though he wouldn't see it in the rapidly growing darkness. "A private love song."

"Are you telling me you won't tell your dear old dad who it's for?" He rubbed his little nub of a goatee thoughtfully, "It's not Oliver, is it?"

"No!" She cried. What would make him think that, "Never!"

He grinned good-naturedly, "Just makin' sure. You've never written a song for someone before. Must be someone pretty special."

Miley stalled a moment by reaching for the guitar and stealing it back. "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

He rubbed her back for a moment before a large crash coming from the living room sent him flying inside. Miley had to smile as Jackson's lame cries floated to her ears.

"It wasn't me! I swear that vase wasn't there the last time I flipped over the couch! It got in my way. Miley did it!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. The words she needed were there; she just needed to let them flow without thinking too hard about it. And slowly, like drops of water from a leaking faucet, they came. She caught them on a scrap of paper, scribbling madly to make sure she got all of it down.

Just a short ways down the beach, a certain blonde male grimaced at the sand gathering in his shoes. He wished he had worn a pair of sandals but it was too late to harbor regrets. He gingerly stepped through the sand heading inland. It had been quite a few months since he'd sent the rose to Miley and he felt that he'd changed enough for her to consider dating him again.

The faint strains of Miley's new melody danced through his ears. It was catchy, that was for sure, and he knew exactly who was singing it. That was a voice he wouldn't forget for years to come. It brought a dashing smile to his lips.

The song itself was captivating. It spoke volumes about Miley. Slow and heart-felt, yet the words were full of longing with a small touch of passion. His smile widened; Miley obviously had been missing him since the last time he had spent time in Malibu. It was heartening to find out that she wanted him as well. How surprised she'd be to see him at school tomorrow. Then, perhaps, she'd present her song for him. Who else could the song be for? Miley would be pining for him, Jake Ryan, or his name wasn't Jake Ryan.

He conveniently ignored the fact that it wasn't his real name.

Miley clutched the guitar to her chest, unaware of her audience. She folded the lyrics up and slid them into her back pocket. It was perfect, and hopefully Lilly would like it. After talking with Robby Ray the words had just come to her, as she had wanted them to. Tomorrow, she promised silently, she'd play this for the object of her affection. She had to get this off her chest before it ate her alive.

She just had to trust that her feelings were reciprocated. Friendship was only one step away from dating, after all. Miley didn't know what she'd do if Lilly reacted badly. She was risking her best friend for something as silly as a petty crush. She'd been ignoring it for months now, and would have continued ignoring it save for the fact that it was getting harder and harder to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when Lilly was close to her.

Sleep that night was filled with tossing and turning and nightmares. In her dreams Miley presented the song only for Lilly to start laughing and walk away. She woke in the morning in a cold sweat. Her mind was full of doubt but she couldn't forget the promise she made to herself. Her distraction led her to school where she dropped her head against a locker and let it sit there, unmoving.

She glanced down the hallway, barely tilting her head to the side. Her heart began pounding wildly and she wanted madly to wipe her clammy hands on her skirt. Her lips felt much too dry but she didn't dare try to apply more lip gloss.

"Miley! Why didn't you wait for me before school?" Lilly stopped a few feet away, hands placed on her hips, eyebrows narrowed accusingly.

Miley glanced up, meeting the eyes of the only female she'd ever been so taken with and tried to smile. The smile didn't turn out very well and Miley thought she probably looked like a dying cow rather than a happy girl.

"I'm sorry, Lilly. I guess I was just really distracted this morning. It was an accident."

Lilly stared at Miley for a long moment, but didn't relent. Her angry glare remained plastered on her face. Still upset, she marched away, "See you in class."

Internally Miley berated herself – that was smooth, real smooth. She shook her head angrily. Only a professional screw up like her could get her best friend and crush upset with one stupid action.

She was knocked from her thoughts as Oliver pounded the locker next to Miley's. It popped open and he shut it immediately, hoping the owner wasn't around to see him. He grinned at her.

"What's got Lilly so wound up?"

Miley's shoulders drooped, "I forgot to walk to school with her this morning."

"Wow, that's rough," he commented, "You've never forgotten before. Is something wrong?"

"Can you keep your mouth shut?" Miley snatched the front of his shirt, drawing him so that their noses were almost touching. She stared into his eyes, trying to act intimidating. Apparently, it worked; he struggled to get away.

"If you can let me go!" He hated that she had such a strong death grip.

"Quiet!" Miley released him. "Remember, this is just between me and you for now, got it?"

He nodded, "I can't tell Lilly?"

"Especially not Lilly. Since… well, it's about her." Miley swallowed roughly, unwilling to go on, but needing to. It would make her feel better to know that she had some support if something went wrong. "I kind of… like her. And I wrote a song for –"

"Me," Jake Ryan tapped her shoulder, lowering his dark shades and giving her a sideways smirk. He just oozed self-confidence. "I heard you singing last night and I can't wait to hear all of it. I'll meet you at the beach, okay? In that little hidden cove."

Miley shook her head and protested to no avail. Jake had already hurried off in the other direction. He was flanked by raving females and it was obvious he enjoyed the attention for all he tried to get away.

"You like Lilly?!" The dam burst in Oliver. He had been holding that back while Jake was around. "You like Lilly, but you wrote Jake a song."

"No, you doughnut! I like Lilly and I wrote the song for Lilly. I don't know how Jake overheard me, but it's not for him. But now Lilly's angry with me. Oliver, you've got to get her to the beach where I'm meeting Jake. She has to hear it. I can let Jake down there, where it'll be private."

"Won't Jake be ticked off at you? For turning him down again?" Oliver was beginning to regret having two female best friends. Girls were so complicated.

"Yes, but I can't tell him in public! I couldn't hurt him like that. And besides, he'd cause a scene and totally embarrass me!" To Miley, her logic was fool-proof and well thought out. Reasonable. To Oliver, the logic was flawed and rushed.

"But Jake already said he wasn't going to spill your secret." He argued back, still sure this wasn't the best way to deal with the current situation.

"But nothing. No movie-star wants to be dumped twice, and in public. Maybe he'd keep his mouth shut about Hannah, but he'd still cause a fuss. Jake was made for publicity. Anything that happens to him gets into the papers."

Oliver shrugged, giving in. It was pointless to argue with Miley when she got worked up. "Alright… If you say so."

She hugged him briefly, "You're the best, Oliver."

"That's why they call me Smokin' Oken." He tried to mimic Jake's smile.

They parted smiling, not sure how this mix-up was going to turn out. It wasn't until later that Miley had time to think about what happened that morning. Oliver had hardly batted an eye over her confession, almost as if he'd known about it before she had. It was a mild shock to her system. Oliver was a great friend, she realized, not for the first time. She hoped that Lilly would be as open minded.

During the course of the school day, Miley reacted politely to Jake's attempted conversations, if a little coldly. Lilly completely ignored her and Oliver was the go-between. Lilly's cold shoulder was getting frustrating; Miley wanted to talk to her, but even during lunch, Lilly remained aloof.

"Tell Lilly that I'm really sorry."

"Lilly, Miley says that she's really sorry."

"Tell Miley that she won't have to worry about forgetting me again. I'm not going to walk with her anymore."

"Miley, Lilly says –"

"I heard, Oliver." Miley slumped down in her chair.

The lunchroom bustled with activity. It was the center for all gossip and rumors, and though it was hard to pick out specific conversations, tidbits rained down from all around them. Miley managed to hear at least five tables discussing Jake Ryan's love life. Her name was mentioned several times. Unfortunately, Lilly heard them, too.

"And now you're dating Jake again and didn't tell me." Lilly seemed to forget that she was ignoring Miley. Oliver, for one, was glad.

"Well, I'm not!" Miley responded hotly.

"He sure thinks you are." Lilly retorted, her temper flaring. She folded her arms defensively across her chest. "I thought we were supposed to be best friends. You said we needed to be honest with each other."

"I am being honest! There's nothing going on!"

And for half a second, Lilly seemed to be relenting. She was starting to accept this as a huge misunderstanding. Her reconciliation was cut short, though, when Jake slid into an open seat near Miley and smiled winningly.

"So, we still on with our date after school?"

Miley wanted to smack her head on the table. Lilly shot them both disapproving looks before stalking away. Jake didn't seem to notice and only smiled harder.

"Jake, this isn't a date, okay?"

"Oh," he didn't change his tone or facial expression. It was almost as if he didn't believe her and for all she knew, he didn't. "Well, see you after school. Don't forget your guitar."

Miley let her head flop onto her arms. "Could this get any worse?"

Oliver glanced around nervously, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"You doughnut."


	2. First Attempt

**So here's chapter two. I figure I'll post a chapter every few days or so.**

**Side note – Kind of in response to a review – I've tried writing the song and it turns out there's a reason I'm not a musician of any kind. I'm sorry if people are expecting some great song, but I'm not a songwriter, no matter how hard I try.**

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_Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command._ - Alan Watts

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The last bell of the day rang sending all the students fleeing from the school as if it was plague-ridden. Miley headed to her house for a moment, grabbing a guitar from the back porch before treading across the beach. She held the folded piece of paper in her fist, hoping her nervous sweat didn't smear the text.

The area Jake had wanted to meet held many memories for her. It was the place that she had confessed to Oliver that she was actually Hannah Montana. The small inlet was surrounded by foliage and only accessible from a couple of entry points. Perfect for first letting Jake down and then pouring her heart out.

Ten minutes passed in relative quiet. But soon she heard Lilly's loud complaints and Oliver's anxious excuses. Miley hoped Oliver chose a good hiding spot; Jake wouldn't appreciate being spied upon during what he thought was to be a private moment. She didn't have long to worry, though – Jake approached, doing his best to look suave.

"Hey, Miley, how about that song." He flashed her two thumbs up.

She shook her head apologetically, "I couldn't tell you this at school, but it's not for you."

Jake's jaw dropped, "Not for me? Then for who? I'm the best looking guy you know."

"Maybe," Miley admitted. She could almost feel Oliver's glare through the bushes. "But that's not important."

He blinked slowly, adjusting. He'd never been turned down after being recognized as horribly handsome. "Well. I mean… That's good. I was going to break up with you anyways. I was actually looking to ask out… someone else."

Miley knew he was merely covering up for his pride, so she let him. If that was all he was going to do, it was all the better for her.

"Mutual break up, then. Can we still be friends?"

He gave her a wavering smile that firmed up into a confident smirk, "Sure thing, Miles. Look, I've gotta go. See ya." He tipped two fingers in her direction in sort of a mock salute.

As he left, Miley waved forlornly and cradled the guitar. Oliver took that as his cue to drag Lilly out into the open. Lilly's features had softened, but she still looked fairly ticked. Miley tried to flash a small smile at her malcontented friend but it wasn't returned.

"Oliver, can you leave us alone?"

He nodded, glancing between them. "Well, if you need me, I'll be over there. By the water. Doing guy stuff."

When he left, Miley turned her attention back to Lilly, trying her hardest to stay strong. This had to be one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do and her audience didn't look at all ready to hear her out.

"Lilly, will you listen to me?"

"I guess." Lilly walked over to the large reddish rock that stood slightly off center of the sandy inlet. She sat down on it, crossing her legs.

"Ok. So you heard me with Jake just now?" Miley knew she was just putting off her real talk but couldn't help it. Her mouth just wouldn't spit it out.

"Yeah, Oliver made me listen." Lilly huffed.

"So there was nothing there to tell you about. If I ever dated someone, you'd be the first to know, I promise. And I really am sorry about before school. I was thinking about how I was going to tell you…" She trailed off, getting a little closer to the issue she really wanted to talk about.

"Tell me what?" Lilly's anger had completely dissipated. It had been overshadowed by her incessant need to know.

"Jake heard me singing a love song last night." Miley dropped her gaze, unwilling to look at Lilly in the eyes.

"So you want to tell me who you'll be dating?" Lilly questioned, not quite getting it.

"No. I want to tell you that… I… I like you." Miley smudged her words together, speaking much too quickly to be clearly understood.

Lilly tilted her head. "You what?"

"Like you. I like you."

"Well, that's nothing new." Lilly smiled, slinging an arm around Miley's shoulders, "I like you, too."

"No, Lil, I mean I really like you."

"Best friends forever, I know."

Miley bit her lower lip, "It's more than that, Lilly. More than best friends forever."

Lilly dropped her arm, shocked, "What?"

To Miley it felt like someone had pushed the gas pedal in her brain. Her mouth rocketed off, "When I look at you I get the same feelings I used to get when I looked at Jake, or Johnny or Josh, or any of those guys. I can't stop thinking about how beautiful you are, and how I don't think I could live happily without you. You're nice, funny, sweet, and you're always there for me. I know that's how best friends are supposed to be, but some time ago it stopped just being friendship for me. I found myself wanting more…"

Lilly stepped away, but didn't leave. She looked troubled. "Miley, I'm sorry. I just don't think of you that way… I don't mind that you're gay. Or even that it's me you like. And I don't want to ruin our friendship, but that's just what it is to me. We're best friends, Mile, and I want to keep it that way. I'm really sorry."

It was Miley's turn to look troubled. She could feel tears prickling the back her eyes, but she forced a smile onto her face, "I understand."

"Please don't be mad at me." Lilly dropped to her knees, "I'd do anything for you. You know that. But I can't pretend to like you like that."

Miley nodded, putting her hand down to Lilly's level. Lilly grabbed it, standing up again. They stood there a moment, staring at each other, holding hands, until Miley realized that she had just been turned down and she yanked her hand away.

"Lilly, I'm not mad at you. I just need some time alone right now, okay?" Miley stumbled back a few steps. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Lilly nodded, face downcast. It hurt her to hurt Miley, but she didn't think it was right to lead Miley on. She watched as Miley ran through the sand, guitar gripped in Miley's left hand. Lilly regretted not even listening to Miley's song.

She trod silently down to the water, hoping to find Oliver there, like he had promised. Living up to his statement, Oliver was standing ankle-deep in the cold water chucking sea-shells into the surf. He turned as he heard her approach.

"How'd it go?"

"She told me she liked me." Lilly sat down in the dry sand, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"And you turned her down?" Oliver guessed. Why else would Lilly be alone and depressed right now. If Lilly had accepted Miley, they would be together right now, practically joined at the hip.

"Of course, Oliver. I'm not going to date her just because she likes me."

Oliver flicked his hands dry before plopping beside her, "You don't need to justify yourself to me."

"But I feel terrible. She looked so crushed."

"She'll live. It's okay, Lilly. It would have been worse on Miley if you tried something and it failed." Oliver gave her an encouraging smile, "So don't worry. She'll be back to normal soon. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after, but soon."

"Thanks, Oliver." She hugged him and got to her feet, "I think I'll go do some skateboarding. It'll distract me."

While Lilly went to grab her gear, Miley was up in her room, sniffling. She didn't want to cry in front of Lilly. She knew that showing how badly she was hurt would, in turn, hurt Lilly, and Miley really didn't want that. The truth was that she did understand Lilly's point of view, but she didn't like it.

There was a box of tissues half empty beside her and a trash can beneath her littered with the scrunched remains of the other tissues. Her pillow was clutched tightly to her chest. The blinds on her window were shut, making her room quite dark.

"Miley, are you in there, darlin'?" Robby Ray knocked softly on the shut door.

"Yes. I'm fine." She called, knowing her voice probably sounded congested and quivery.

"You don't sound fine." He pushed the door open and walked to her bedside. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he continued. "I take it your day at school wasn't good."

"School was fine." She responded despondently.

"So what's the matter, sweet pea?"

"I tried to tell… It didn't work…" She spoke very quietly and Robby wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he tried his best.

"Who'd you try to tell? Is this about that song you wrote?"

"Yes. I didn't even get to sing it. She turned me down." Miley whispered, hiding her face.

"Who is this 'she'?" Robby kept his eyes trained on Miley's face, though that face was hidden by a curtain of hair. It didn't bother him that Miley seemed to have a crush on another girl. She was his baby girl and always would be. Besides, he reasoned, he'd always raised his kids to be accepting and he wasn't going to become a hypocrite just because it was his own child.

"Lilly." Miley sniffled. She turned and threw herself into Robby's arms. He rubbed circles on her back and made shushing noises.

"What happened?"

"I told her after school and she told me that she didn't like me back. But she still wants to be friends and all, and I'm really happy she isn't disgusted with me… But I don't want to see her every day and know I can't touch her. I'll be afraid to even look at her! What if she takes it the wrong way? What if she thinks I'm looking at her wrong, just because I like her? What if she decides she doesn't want to be my friend anymore?"

"Hush, kiddo. You know Lilly. You know she would never do that. Give her a little credit. You were very brave to tell her, but now you've just got to trust it'll all work out. Give her some time and some space."

She cleared her throat with a few small coughs, "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem. Can I open those blinds?" At her approval, he got to his feet and wandered to the window. With a quick flick of his wrist, the blinds shuttered open and sunlight poured in. "My advice would be to try dating someone new. Get your mind off her, if she really isn't interested."

Miley moved the tissue box away from her body, releasing the pillow. "I'll try."

"That's my girl. I'm going to go start dinner. Anything special you want?"

"Naw, Daddy." She gave him a sincere smile, and he returned it. It was great to see her honestly smiling again.

After he left the room, Miley leaned forward, cleaning up the soggy tissues that had missed the trashcan. Her mind was wandering aimlessly through the conversation – should she try and find a date? It wasn't like she was married to Lilly because she confessed. And it would help get her mind off the other girl. It would hurt, though, because she had been so sure Lilly would agree. It should be Lilly she was dating.

She moved the trashcan away and got to her feet. Her eyes were tired and still quite moist, but it was bearable. Shaking her head slowly, she went to her backpack and pulled out her homework. Might as well get that done before dinner, she figured; that way she could just fall into bed after eating. Dinner was finished half an hour later, giving her more than enough time to do her math and science.

Jackson hadn't bothered to wait for her to come to dinner to begin eating. His face was already covered with spaghetti sauce. Robby Ray stared at him, hands resting on his waist, awe written on his face. Smiling at the sight, Miley entered and found her seat, dumping noodles onto her plate followed by some meaty tomato sauce.

"Now, son, what are you? I haven't seen anybody suck up so much food in one breath since Uncle Earl won that sausage eating contest." Robby shook his head. This dinner took half an hour to make and it was gone in twenty seconds.

Jackson couldn't properly respond due to the fact that he had noodles oozing out of his mouth and sauce drizzling down his chin. So instead he gave a nervous smile, revealing red teeth.

Miley laughed and began eating, albeit slower than Jackson's inhalation. Mr. Stewart joined her, still marveling at Jackson's amazing ability to act as a human-vacuum. After all was eaten, Miley helped clear the dishes before hugging her dad good night and heading for bed.

Tomorrow was going to be better, she thought to herself as she curled up in her sheets. Tomorrow she would work on finding a date. She and Lilly would be fine and life would go on.


	3. Trying To Move On

**Ahah! Chapter three does exist. I knew it. I still don't own Hannah Montana or related characters, no matter how hard I wished it so. I do, however, own my imagination and my computer. I suppose I should mention that life always gets worse before it gets better. Oh! I'd like to thank ever'body for the reviews. I read and think about all of them.**

**This chapter isn't exactly right. But I've read over it quite a few times and can't pinpoint what's bothering me. So I guess it's just me being picky...**

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_What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better. - _Wendell Phillips

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Tomorrow came quickly and Miley slept fairly well considering all the stress she had been feeling. Unfortunately, tomorrow wasn't as good as she had hoped it to be. She woke up with an upset stomach. Writing it off as nothing more than early morning ill-feelings, she headed to the bathroom. She had just started the shower when her stomach rebelled, forcing her to hurl up whatever was left of last night's meal.

Groaning, she leaned against the toilet, closing her eyes. Her mind was swimming and she felt exceedingly dizzy. The water drizzled on in the shower and she weakly reached up to turn it off. Her hand fell short as she returned to dry retching into the porcelain.

"Mile, you okay in there?" Robby knocked on the bathroom door.

Miley heaved loudly, thankful she was still fully dressed. Robby Ray twisted the knob and hurried to her side. She finished her bout of nausea and leaned back, panting. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic; her words were clearly meant that way, but her voice was weak and unemotional.

"Back to bed with you, bud. I'll call the school to excuse you. We need to get you better. Hannah's got a concert in three days." Robby Ray helped her back to her bed. He tucked her in and brought her a bucket for safety. If she couldn't make it to the bathroom, at least she wouldn't lose her lunch on the floor.

Miley let her head hit the pillow again. She was half-grateful she didn't have to face Lilly yet, but the other half wanted to see her friend. Her day was filled with naps, ginger ale, and soup. With luck this was only a twenty-four hour flu virus that would clear up by the next day.

At school Lilly waited around Miley's locker. She had waited by Miley's house before hand, in an attempt to walk to school with her friend, but Miley hadn't shown up. So she figured Miley had ditched her again. This time she didn't mind. If Miley wanted a little space, Miley could have it.

She glanced at one of the various clocks in the hallway and grimaced. Miley had probably already gotten to class. It was a surprise to get to first period and find that Miley wasn't there either. In fact, she saw neither hide nor hair of her best friend all day.

During lunch she got lost in thought, wondering if this was Miley trying to avoid her. But that didn't make sense. The Miley she knew wouldn't put off seeing her because of something so silly. After all, hadn't they both agreed to let it go? Forget it happened?

Oliver waved a hand in front of her face, "Earth to Lilly!"

She glanced at him mildly before responding. "Oliver? What are you doing here?"

"Um, it's lunch. We always eat together, remember?" He quirked his eyebrows up. Lilly was acting so strangely.

"Oh. It's lunch?" Lilly laughed dryly. "That would explain the lunchroom and the food."

Oliver fixed her with a worried stare, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just wondering where Miley is today. It's not like her to miss school."

"She's probably avoiding you." Oliver let that jump free from his mouth accidentally. He'd been thinking it, but had tried to keep it in. He flung his hands over his flapping lips.

Lilly looked crushed, "I thought that, too."

"Or she might be sick."

"That's too coincidental. And we both know her dad would let her stay home if she really begged. Especially if she told him what happened yesterday!" Lilly sunk down in her seat, cheeks flushing brightly.

Oliver shrugged, "Either way, why don't you try bringing her the homework for today? Show that you're willing to keep up the friendship, right?"

She tousled his hair with a happy grin, "That's right. I'll do that. She can't hide from me forever."

"Don't touch the hair!" He complained, staving off her hands with wild gestures, "It needs to be perfect! Who knows when Mrs. Smokin' Oken is going to walk through those doors? In fact, she could be the next person to walk into the lunch room."

They both turned expectantly and found Jackson running into the room. He spotted them and jogged over.

"And maybe not." Oliver ducked his head, scrunching up his neck.

"I thought I'd tell you two that Miley has the flu. We think it's one of them twenty-four hour things." He smacked the table with his hand, nodded, and ran back off.

Lilly watched him carefully. He didn't act any differently towards her, which meant he didn't know that Miley liked her, which meant that the sickness must be real. Right? She squirreled up her face, confused.

"Earth to Lilly?" Oliver tried again. This time all he got for his efforts was a punch to his shoulder, "Ow! Hey, when did you learn that violence was the answer?"

"Eat your lunch, Oliver."

He wisely obeyed. Lilly went back to picking at her meal and thinking. School didn't go quite fast enough for her; her eyes were trained consistently on the clock. When the bell finally rang, she was out of her seat like a shot. She barely had time to wave bye to Oliver before skateboarding down the street, dodging bodies and jumping obstacles.

Inside the Stewart house, Miley found her way down to the fridge. She was still in her pajamas and her hair was a wreck, but she was feeling better. Robby Ray had gone out to the store and Jackson wouldn't be home for a while. She dug through the fridge, trying to weasel out a fresh can of ginger ale. The phone rang and she gave up on her task, instead answering the annoying ring.

"Lilly landing in ten!" Lilly hollered over the phone.

Miley ended the call and threw the phone to the couch as she dashed to the front door and pulled it open. She watched with a small smile as Lilly raced towards her, hit a large crack in the cement, and finally flew through the air and barreled into her. The two hit the ground. Miley found herself pinned to the floor by a madly panting Lilly.

They stared into each other's eyes silently for a good ten seconds. In those seconds, Miley felt her heart start to race. Lilly was surprised to find that her heart was also speeding up, but she couldn't drag her eyes away from Miley's. It was almost intoxicating to be this close to her friend, to feel Miley's body beneath hers. She ducked her head slightly lower, closing the distance between their lips. Just before they met in a kiss, Lilly jerked back and jumped to her feet.

What in the world was happening to her? Her eyes couldn't get any larger and Miley's expression nearly mirrored hers. She slowed her breathing, trying to get a hold of herself. This just had to be a response to the guilt she was feeling over turning Miley down. It just had to be.

"I brought you your homework." Glad for an excuse to look away, Lilly dug in her backpack, pulling a small stack of papers out. "Jackson said you had a bug. Are you feeling better? I hope you slept a lot today. And drank fluids. My mom always said that fluids were good for sick people. And chicken noodle soup! Did you have some of that? I'm sure your dad took good care of you. Who am I to question what he feeds you? Is it warm in here?"

Miley held in her laughter but just barely. Lilly stood there fanning herself with Miley's homework.

"I'm better now. I wasn't pretty this morning and I'm probably not pretty now, but tomorrow will be better. Thanks for the homework." Miley reached for the papers and managed to rescue them from Lilly's death grip.

"No! You're really cute." Lilly commented before she could stop herself. She felt a little self-conscious complimenting Miley now. It was one of those things that she used to do tons in the past and think nothing of but it worried her now. What if Miley took it the wrong way?

"Thanks, Lil. Did I miss anything?" Miley tried to move past the compliment. Lilly obviously didn't mean anything by it.

"We started projects in biology today." Lilly slowly remembered, "Oh, we all picked partners."

Dread flooded through Miley, "Please tell me that I got someone good."

"You got someone good." Lilly responded.

Miley rolled her eyes, "Who?"

"Me. I couldn't let you get the bottom of the barrel, Miles."

"Thanks, Lilly. So, what's our project?" Miley headed for the couch, plopping down on the cushions. Lilly was right behind her.

"I chose the old mouse-through-a-maze experiment. I figured it would be easy enough." Lilly had completely forgotten the awkwardness from her entrance.

"Should we work on it Saturday?" Miley worked it out in her head; currently it was Tuesday, and her concert was on Friday evening, so Lilly could just sleep over and they could easily do the project Saturday. "Which reminds me! Hannah's concert is this Friday. Are you coming with?"

Lilly pumped her fist in the air, "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

Miley chose not to answer that. She didn't know if Lilly would feel too weird around her. It was great that Lilly wasn't.

"You could sleep over Friday night and we could start the project Saturday morning." Miley suggested.

"Is there a party after the concert?" Lilly smirked, starting to go through her mental closet.

"Of course."

"Ok, so I'll sleep over after that. I am going to the party, right?" Lilly sometimes wondered if Miley was okay with her being that. She knew she could be a klutz, a dork, and many other things that probably didn't sit well with the celebrity crowd.

"Yeah." Miley hesitated. Normally she'd reach over and hold Lilly's arm, or give Lilly a hug, but now she didn't know how to act. She hated feeling like she couldn't touch her best friend.

Lilly got up, stretching, "Are you still on house lock down? Can you hit the beach with me?"

"I'll have to call my dad, but I bet I can." Miley reached for the phone which was sitting a few feet away from her. She dialed quickly and waited impatiently. This beach outing was the best way to restore the fragile relationship she had with Lilly. It was important to Miley that they reforge their friendship and just forget she had ever said anything.

Robby Ray wasn't fond of the idea, but he knew how Miley must be feeling. He gave his consent as long as she took it easy and didn't do more than relax in the sunshine. Miley promised and hung up.

"So are we going?"

"I have to shower and change." Miley gestured to herself. "Or did you want me out there in pajamas and hair that Frankenstein's wife would be jealous of?"

Lilly giggled, "Alright. I'll go down to Rico's and grab us some nachos."

"Save me some, got it?" Miley raised an eye brow. Knowing Lilly, those snacks would be gone before Miley even set one foot in the sand.

Lilly laughed almost nervously before running out the back door without a real answer. She, too, knew that those nachos wouldn't last five minutes. As she left, Miley turned and headed upstairs to clean up. Without really thinking about what she was doing, Miley chose a set of clothing that she hoped Lilly would like. It wasn't a conscious decision so much as a deeply rooted wish for Lilly's attention.

She barely glanced at herself in the mirror before heading out onto the beach. Her hair had been cleaned and tamed, now resting against her back, the ends barely curling at the tips. Her pajamas had been switched out for a pair of clean blue jean shorts that hugged her hips tightly and two t-shirts – one half-sleeved white shirt underneath and a baby blue short-sleeved over it. Her feet were adorned by a pair of simple black flip-flops.

The nachos, as expected, had disappeared. Lilly tried to make some excuse about attacking seagulls and not wanting to ruin her hair. It was just easier to give up the nachos. Miley didn't press it; instead she just got another set of nachos and tugged Lilly along towards the water.

Lilly had taken a moment during Miley's absence to change into a pair of boy-ish water shorts and a bikini top, forgetting that she might be attracting unwanted attention to her chest. She really wanted to catch a few waves while the weather was so nice and she hoped Miley wouldn't mind sunning alone for a while.

"Mile, is it okay if I surf? I've been dying to hit the water." Lilly hit Miley with large, expressive eyes. Her lower lip jutted out slightly.

Miley couldn't resist, even if she had wanted to, "Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back."

Lilly instantly broke into a wild grin, hugging Miley tightly before running to fetch her board. She panicked a moment as she ran away, wondering what Miley thought of her hug. Things were getting so complicated, she commented mentally. Life was so much easier when she didn't have to think about what messages she was sending to her best friend.

As Lilly dove into the surf, Miley spread a towel out on the sand and set her sunning station up. She drizzled sunscreen into her hand and proceeded to wipe the white substance over her bare skin, making sure to cover all the surface area. Getting sun burn was not on her To-Do list. Satisfied of her protection, she leaned back on her elbows, one hand propped against her forehead to block out some of the bright sun, and watched as Lilly had fun.

"Hey." Her watching was interrupted only a few minutes later by a tall guy standing in front of her. He smiled at her and shifted his feet. "I couldn't help but notice that you're all alone over here."

She blinked, changing her attention from Lilly to the unknown teen in front of her. He was fairly cute, by her standards. Wiry, but not too thin, tan, with a gorgeous smile. His golden hair was curly and trimmed close to his head. She returned the smile, trying to decide if a, he was hitting on her, and b, if she should let him.

"Yeah, my friend is just out surfing." She responded, keeping her eyes trained on his face.

"Mind if I keep you company?" He questioned, taking a seat in the sand beside her. "I'm Jeremy, by the way."

"Miley." They shook hands and she was able to confirm that he did seem interested in her.


	4. Stasis

**First off, I must do something I forgot to do in previous chapters. Take a moment to thank my beta, who is graciously helping me with a fanfiction about a show she's never watched. Thanks, babe. Oh, note nummer zwei, I'm sorry if the chapter breaks are a little erratic. I'm trying to keep the chapters roughly around the same length. I know the break between the last chapter and this one was a little awkweird.**

**---**

_All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire._ - Aristotle

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"Mind if I keep you company?" He questioned, taking a seat in the sand beside her. "I'm Jeremy, by the way."

"Miley." They shook hands and she was able to confirm that he did seem interested in her.

"So, Miley, that's an interesting name."

She laughed; that was the first thing most people said after hearing it. "Yeah, I guess."

"I take it you get that a lot?"

She nodded quietly, letting her eyes return to Lilly's escapades. A silence hesitated between them as Miley's attention flitted away. Dissatisfied with Miley's inattention, Jeremy tried again to make small talk.

"Who's your friend?"

"The blonde girl." Miley pointed to Lilly a moment before the other girl took a dive into the water.

"So not your boyfriend." He asked carefully, trying to see if she was taken.

"Nope. No boyfriend, actually."

"That's good. I was hoping you were free." He responded. When she didn't reply, he cleared his throat, "Are you doing anything tomorrow after school?"

"No, I guess not." She responded. Reluctantly she had to agree that trying a new relationship might ease things between her and Lilly. It might help her ignore the swelling feelings she felt for her peppy and pretty friend. Fighting to seem interested, she favored him with an awkward smile.

"Would you want to go to the mall, or something?" It was a stretch for him. Most girls conversed easily with him and it was simple to choose a first date setting from compiling their chatter. Miley hadn't said much, but he was guessing that she liked shopping.

"Sure." As soon as Miley agreed, a pang of guilt rushed through her. Her happy face drooped. "Can Lilly come with?"

"Lilly? The surfer?" He wasn't sure he liked that.

"My dad probably won't want me going to the mall with some guy neither of us knows. How old are you anyways?"

"Sixteen. And you?"

"Fifteen." She answered, not exactly interested in the conversation.

"She'd have to come?" He wished there was another way. Dating wasn't supposed to involve the friend.

"Yeah." Miley lied. The truth was that Robby Ray would have let her go, if she asked hard enough. Roxy would have followed them, she bet, but Lilly wasn't a requirement. Her desire for Lilly's presence was easily pinned to her desire not to date anybody else.

"Oh." He didn't like that at all. "Well, I'll see you around?"

She smiled apologetically and he left. Unbeknownst to Miley, Lilly had been eyeing her carefully between waves and had felt unfamiliar jealously flare through her as Jeremy attempted to pick her friend up. She couldn't remember ever feeling that way over Miley before. It didn't make sense to Lilly at all. Why would Miley's admission awaken these dormant feelings in her?

A wave crashed over her head, sending her on a little trip under water as the current threw her board closer to shore. She swam to the surface, snuffling as water coated the insides of her nose. There was nothing quite as annoying as getting salt water snuffed through the nose. It burned unpleasantly and left a bitter taste in her mouth, one she'd prefer to ignore.

That wipe-out signified the end of her surfing adventure for the day so Lilly grabbed her board and stumbled out of the surf and into the wet sand. A quick glance towards her feet showed her a small pink shell glinting in the sunlight, half-buried beneath the thick sand. Picking it up, Lilly brushed as much of the sand off of it as she could manage with her finger before tucking it into one of her pockets.

When she returned to Miley's side, Jeremy had long gone and Miley was waiting for her with a smile.

"How were the waves?"

"Great." Lilly jammed the surfboard into the sand and fell onto the edge of Miley's towel, leaning back on the other girl's shins. She hoped Miley wouldn't mind getting water all over her legs.

"You were looking good out there." Miley commented, dusting sand off her hands.

"Who was the guy?"

"Oh, I think he said his name was Jeremy." Miley shrugged, "He wanted to go to the mall with me tomorrow."

"Well? Are you going?"

"He didn't want to go if you came along."

Lilly narrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully, "Why would I go with you?"

"Because I said I wouldn't go without you. I just didn't want to go with him."

Lilly yawned quietly, "Well that's okay, then. Mind if I take a nap?"

"Don't forget to sunscreen. I know you hate getting burned." Miley offered the bottle of sunscreen. Lilly accepted it and lathered up. As Lilly protected herself, Miley scooted over on the towel to give Lilly room to lie down.

The day passed much too quickly for both of them. As the sun set Miley gathered up her towel and bid Lilly farewell. Lilly waved good bye, mind elsewhere. She couldn't stop wondering about how things between her and Miley were changing. It was just two days ago when Miley was her best friend and Lilly was happy. But now there was something between them that Lilly didn't understand.

Miley returned to school the next day, her illness completely gone. It was a relief to her – being sick had to be her least favorite thing in the world. Perhaps second to Jackson singing in the shower.

Oliver was glad to see her, especially seeing her close with Lilly. School was perfectly ordinary. Classes were boring, Amber and Ashley were bullies, and lunch was loud – not that Miley was expecting anything different. Her dad's advice was still hanging over her head and she did try to glance at a few boys during the day. It never occurred to her to try and get a girl's attention; Lilly was the only girl for her.

Maybe she should have just agreed to see Jeremy, she reasoned as she hung near her locker before the last period of the day. Now she'd be stuck mooning over Lilly for the rest of her life. She felt completely miserable.

"Miley, are you okay?" Lilly tapped her shoulder.

Miley realized she probably looked weird, leaning on her locker and looking at nothing with distant eyes. She managed a grin for Lilly but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Lilly watched Miley a moment, suspicious. Miley tried a bigger smile to no avail. She pushed off her locker and headed for their last class. Lilly let it go. She figured that she'd get her answers after school. Catching up with Miley, she slid her arm around Miley's.

"Want to hang out after school?"

"Like always?"

"Like always. We could get Oliver to hang, too, if you want." Lilly offered. She personally didn't mind either way. Oliver wouldn't be dead weight, but he wasn't necessary.

"No. You can help me pick out my outfit for Friday. Oliver is useless at that." Miley bit back a burst of giggles.

Lilly joined her in restrained laughter. "You'd probably end up going in a fashion disaster. Note to Miley, never let Oliver near your closet."

Later, in the closet, Miley began digging through her various racks of clothing, unsure of what she wanted to wear. She wanted to catch Lilly's attention without attracting the unwanted eyes of everyone else. Lilly, meanwhile, was perched in a chair flipping through a fashion magazine.

"So you're totally going to let me wear a pair of Italian boots, right?"

Miley picked up a long blouse, holding it to her body, "Depends. How does this look?"

Lilly glanced her over, "Put it in the possible pile."

Miley threw it into a small pile of clothing before returning to her hunt, "And sure, as long as I'm not wearing them first."

"Can I use the knee-high ones? They'll go great with my black skirt." Lilly set the magazine aside in favor of sorting the possible pile. She threw aside a few of the tops, deigning that they were not fit for an after-party.

"Sure. That just means we'll have to match my outfit to a different pair of shoes." Miley gestured to her wall of footwear, "Which shouldn't be that hard."

"I think you should wear this," Lilly head up a soft blue blouse. It had no shoulders; instead it had thick bands that would wrap around Miley's upper arms.

Miley was hesitant. That shirt had Lilly's attention and would look great on her, but it was a sure-fire way to get the attention of every male in the room. But in the end she nodded her consent and went to choose a pair of nice hip-hugger jeans to match and a pair of comfortable shoes.

Lilly looked at her expectantly, "Well, put it on! I want to see how you look. If it works, you can wear it."

Miley rolled her eyes, "As you wish, your Highness."

Lilly went back to lounging in her chair. She picked the magazine back up while Miley quickly shed her clothing and donned the new apparel. Miley spun in a circle, showing off to her one-person audience.

"Lovely, daaaahling." Lilly adopted a snooty accent, drawing out her vowels, "Simply maaaaaaaahvelous."

Lilly's cell phone went off as Miley changed back to her usual attire. While Lilly talked with her mom, Miley hung the outfit up and placed it in the corner, setting the shoes underneath.

"What's up?" Miley wandered back, standing a few feet away from Lilly, who quite frankly didn't look pleased.

"I have to go home. I kind of forgot that today was supposed to be 'family fun time'." Lilly shuddered, "So not fun."

Miley held back her smile. Lilly was so cute when she was riled and indignant.

"Don't forget to grab the shoes on your way out."

"Thanks again, Miles!" Lilly snatched the shoes and her bag before making a mad break out of the closet. Miley chuckled softly as her best friend made such a speedy exit. She gazed at the outfit once more before turning the lights off and leaving, too.

Lilly slammed her red helmet down onto her head, not bothering to connect the chin strap. It was the next day after school and she had headed straight to the skate park to hang with some friends and get a little practice in. Another reason for it was she was avoiding Miley.

It wasn't necessarily on purpose, but Lilly had grown shy overnight when it came to the other girl. Lilly concluded that it had something to do with the strange feelings she had developed. For now, she decided it was best to avoid Miley whenever possible.

Miley, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to spend some time with Lilly, and was extremely confused when Lilly wasn't around after the final period of the day. She ran home, throwing her book bag to the ground before turning tail and hurrying outside again. She found her way to Lilly's house and found Lilly's mother weeding the front garden.

"Mrs. Truscott, have you seen Lilly? She kinda ran off after school."

Mrs. Truscott wiped a hand along her forehead, pushing away stray beads of sweat, "I think she said she was hitting the park today."

Miley smiled, "Thanks. I'll head down and see if she's there."

"If you see her, can you tell her not to be late for dinner?"

"Of course." Miley waved good bye as she turned about once again and set course for the skate park. This was getting to be a little too much work.

At the skate park Lilly was having a fairly good time. Normally she felt great on her board and she could forget about all the crap she had going with school, friends, and home, but today was different. No matter what trick she was trying, she just couldn't seem to land it. Her mind was too fixated on Miley. What would Miley be doing, since Lilly ditched her? What was Miley thinking? Was Miley going to be mad at her?

After falling off her board yet again, she stayed down, face scrunching up unhappily. She had to fix this with Miley before she got anything done, it would seem. Until then she'd just keep hitting the ground. She shook her head despondently. What she wouldn't give to make time go backwards. Then she could make it so that Miley didn't have the chance to confess.

"Need a hand up?" Todd, one of her various skater friends, put a hand down near her face, smiling at her. "That was a wicked spill."

She accepted his hand, pulling herself to her feet, "Yeah, well, I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all."

Once she was on her feet, he didn't let go. He stared at her hard for a moment and she felt almost uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.

"I've been thinking, too."

"About what?" Lilly shifted to reach for her skateboard. She was stopped on the way down and jerked back up. With his free hand, Todd reached behind her head and pulled her forward slightly, kissing her gently. Within a few seconds, though, his tongue had forced its way into her mouth.

Lilly tried to keep herself from panicking; it was hard, though. She placed her hands on his chest and prepared to shove him away. His eyes were shut but hers were wide open. Before pushing him away, she stopped herself, wondering why her reaction was so disgusted. Todd was a nice guy and fairly handsome to boot. She should be enjoying this, not trying to stop him. Her resolve hardened. Maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough. She let him continue, letting her hands drop to her sides.


	5. Near Miss

**I hope this chapter is mildly surprising. It was originally a little longer, but I decided last second to rewrite it and change it up. I hit a few snags, so the next chapter might be posted a later than usual. But, it'll come. **

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_The truth is rarely pure and never simple._ - Oscar Wilde

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Moments passed before he drew away, grinning. He obviously felt that she had feelings for him, since she didn't push him away or reprimand him in any way, shape, or form. For a few moments, Lilly stared at him, hand a few centimeters from her lips. Her stomach was unsettled now and she didn't feel well.

It was disturbing, that's what it was. It was disturbing to kiss him. Her gut-wrenching emotion of the moment was nearly overwhelming guilt. Her eyes narrowed and she took a step back. Why did it feel like she had just cheated on Miley?

Miley entered the park, humming under her breath. She was hoping to watch a few of Lilly's skateboard tricks before interrupting her blonde friend. Her mood had lightened on the walk there; Lilly probably just wanted some time on her board and had forgotten to mention it to her. Innocent accident, that was all.

She spotted her best friend standing a few feet away from a boy, who looked awfully pleased. Lilly's face said that Lilly was more likely to throw up rather than dance for joy. Miley ran up to her, placing a hand on Lilly's shoulder.

"Lils, your mom wants you home by dinner." Miley squeezed Lilly's shoulder a moment, "I'm sorry for interrupting. I was just wondering where you were, is all, and your mom said you were here and that I should tell you that message."

With a happy smile, Miley turned and power walked away. She never felt quite right in a skate park. Seeing as she didn't own a skateboard and had no desire to own one, it didn't make sense for her to hang about. The only times she was there was when Lilly wanted her to watch something.

Lilly put a hand on her stomach, knowing she probably looked as ill as she felt, "Look, Todd, I have to go."

"Want to catch a movie later?" He watched her hopefully. After all, he reasoned, she kissed back.

"No, Todd, I don't. I'm not interested, but thanks." She snatched her skateboard and ran after Miley. The sidewalks were empty, though, and Lilly cursed quietly. It was no use, now. And besides, she still had to make it home in time for dinner.

At home, she went straight to her room, burying her face in her pillow. She let her eyes close and her body relax. It had been a stressful few days and Todd's kiss was the straw that broke the camel's back. Lilly felt tears pushing their way through her tear ducts.

She hated that she couldn't land her skateboard moves. She hated that she was starting to feel things that she shouldn't. She hated that she had used Todd to try and get away. What if Miley had seen that? It would have crushed her, Lilly decided, not feeling any better for thinking it. But now it felt like she had some sort of secret looming over her head.

It was a mini thundercloud and she knew it was only a matter of time before it burst and splattered acid rain down on her. She stared at her cell phone for a few seconds, fighting with herself. Part of her wanted to call Miley, tell her what had happened, and apologize. The other part of her just wanted Miley to never find out.

Before long, her mom called up that it was dinner time and she went to eat her meal. Her family chattered, but she didn't hear any of it. All she could hear were her thoughts accusing her of trying to lie to someone she'd promised to be honest with. After dinner she rushed back to her room, diving on her cell phone and madly dialing Miley's number. It continued to ring without answer. "Come on! Pick up!"

The phone hit the opposite wall with a soft thunk. Lilly fell on her bed feeling terrible. At this rate she'd talk to Miley again at school and she really wanted to avoid that. School was a dangerous place to have emotional talks. Anybody could hear or see and then, BAM!, instant rumor. Even if the rumor had no proof, it would be all over school. Lilly could see it – Amber or Ashley spying on the private moment where Lilly apologizes to Miley, only to get a tight bear hug in return. It would take less than one class period for the entire school to think her and Miley were a couple.

She could hope that Miley wouldn't bring it up, then. If the skate park was any example, Miley wouldn't know anything about it. There Miley had a smiling, unknowing face. Lilly just hoped Miley wouldn't hear about the kiss before school was let out. She bet Todd was telling all his friends that she kissed him and he turned her down, or something like that.

Sleep didn't come easily to her and Lilly found herself tossing and turning. Miley was haunting the back of her eyelids; every time Lilly shut her eyes, there was Miley smiling at her. It was torture.

When her alarm clock went off at six forty-five the next morning, she felt as though she hadn't slept a wink. She was happy to be doing something other than rolling around her bed, though. She breezed through the shower, not able to concentrate on what she was doing. Half way through her second shampooing she realized that she was just going in circles. She rinsed and hopped out.

Breakfast was no better. She added cereal to a bowl, then milk. And then more cereal, and then more milk. The placemat was flooded before she stopped and thought about what she was doing. After cleaning her little mess up she had time to grab a banana and her backpack before running down the street towards school. It didn't occur to her to wait for Miley.

During school, she avoided making eye contact with Miley as much as possible. She didn't want to see Miley's trusting eyes. It would just make her feel even lower than she thought possible. For Lilly it felt like the day was oozing by as quickly as nearly frozen molasses. It just couldn't get any slower.

"Lilly, are you okay?" Oliver nudged her shoulder during a passing period. He was concerned for her. He'd never seen her so down before. Usually when something was wrong with Lilly, it was punctuated by Lilly getting angry and huffy. It was hard to remember a time when Lilly was so doggone depressed.

"I guess." She crossed her arms across her body, not willing to make eye contact with Oliver either.

"What happened?" He questioned. When he asked Miley earlier, all he got was a clueless shrug.

"I went to the skate park yesterday." Lilly stated, as if that was the problem.

"Don't you go to the skate park a lot?"

"Todd kissed me." She continued slowly.

Oliver's jaw dropped, "Bad thing?"

"Yes." Lilly confirmed.

"So… are you dating now?"

"No. I felt so terrible after! It felt like I was cheating on Miley! But we're not dating! So how can I?" Lilly whisper-yelled. She didn't want others to overhear.

Oliver fixed her with a mischievous smirk, "Are you sure you don't like her?"

"I don't know anymore…" Lilly admitted. "I think I do…"

"So this is easy to fix. Tell her the truth, apologize, kiss and make up, whatever it is girls do. Don't make me get the handcuffs. I even have the key this time." He patted his pocket and his face fell, "Well, I had the key."

That cheered her up slightly and she gave him a weak grin, "Thanks for the support, Ollie."

He nodded. "Of course! Just talk to her after school."

She squared her shoulders. "Right. Just walk right up to her and say Miley-"

"What?" Miley approached, face tilted curiously.

Lilly completely deflated, "I need to talk to you."

Oliver wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his friends and started walking them towards the last class of the day. Lilly glared at him, as if he was ruining the moment on purpose.

"As much as I know you two need to speak, I don't want to be late."

Lilly spent the entire period with her eyes fixated on the clock. Every minute that passed was one minute closer to fixing things with Miley. She could vaguely hear the teacher droning on, but mostly all she heard was the thumping of her heart. It was so loud, at least to her, and it filled her ears. The clock seemed to tick in time with every few thuds of her heart.

The bell rang and Lilly jumped from her chair. She swiped her palms along her shorts, trying to get the clammy sweat off them with little success. Breathing hard, she sought Miley out.

"Can we talk now?" Lilly gripped Miley's arm, ignoring that she now could feel tingles wherever her flesh touched Miley's.

"Why don't we talk at my house? I have to get ready for the concert."

Lilly tilted her head in acceptance. The walk home was tense and quiet. Oliver had decided to give them some alone time, for which Lilly was grateful. When they reached the Stewart residence they found Jackson crashed on the couch, eyes fixated on the television. Without speaking, they headed upstairs to Miley's room, shutting the door behind them.

"What's up, Lil? You've been acting so distant since yesterday." Miley sat down at her desk, swiveling slightly on the roller chair.

"What? There's nothing wrong..." Miley folded her arms and waited patiently. "Ok, ok! So there's something wrong. Yesterday at the park… Todd… well, he kissed me."

Miley's face dropped. Her shoulders slumped and her hands quivered. "Todd… the boy who looked so happy when I walked up…"

"Yes…" Lilly trailed off, hating herself for putting Miley through this. "But there's nothing there, I swear!"

"Nothing there?" Miley's voice raised in volume ever so slightly. She was trying to avoid yelling. "You kissed him!"

"No, he kissed me." Lilly argued.

"And you let him! You didn't even push him away." Miley shook her head, trying her best to remain calm. _Lilly_ _is not my girlfriend. Lilly is not my girlfriend._ She repeated that over and over in her head. She had no right to feel so jealous.

"I wanted to," Lilly murmured, eyes downcast. She wished Miley understood.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because!"

Miley tapped her foot on the ground. That answer was not good enough. "Because…"

"Because I wanted to like it. I wanted to like kissing a guy."

That shook Miley a little. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing… Can we drop it for now? I promise to talk to you when I'm ready… but I'm not right now." Lilly begged.

Miley considered the plea and nodded reluctantly, "You'll have to tell me someday."

"Just not right now." Lilly perked up. Anything to get away from that subject. At least, she thought with a tiny smile, Miley didn't hate her. "We should start getting ready for your concert. What Lola should I go as? I'm kinda really liking the white wig."

"Lola LaRhonda it is." Miley agreed, "And that wig will go great with the black skirt and boots you borrowed."

Lilly enthusiastically agreed, glad Miley had let her off so easily. "I'm going to look so great tonight. I'm practically a celebrity, you know."

Miley fixed her with a 'best-friend-say-what?' stare. "And I am?"

"Practically the best friend of practically a celebrity." Lilly joked.

Miley smiled at her slightly goofy best friend. She wondered now why she ever jeopardized this friendship by confessing. Losing Lilly would be equivalent to having each of her toenails ripped off one by one.


	6. Sweet Dreams

**This has got to be my favorite chapter. Fun to write, anyways, since I got to flip through a dream dictionary constantly. Without further ado, I present chapter six. Woo.**

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_They say dreams are the windows of the soul -- take a peek and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts._ -- Henry Bromel

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They messed around in the closet for a few hours before Robby Ray called up that the limo was waiting. Miley wished it wasn't – she hadn't had fun with Lilly like that since much earlier that week. It was comforting to know that their friendship was still intact.

Robby was also glad that the relationship survived. He'd been pleasantly surprised to find out that Lilly was still coming with and that she had been hanging out with his daughter. He could only smile at them as they thundered down the stairs and into the waiting limousine.

"Hannah, you almost forgot your purse." Lola shook the small white purse in front of Miley's face, smiling deviously. "That or I took it and hid it from you."

Miley snatched it from her. "You didn't look through it, did you?"

Her pulse picked up slightly. The song she'd written for Lilly was in there. She would just die if Lilly had gone through, found it, and subsequently read it.

"No. Why? Is there something in there I shouldn't see?"

"No, no." Miley emitted a short nervous laugh, "Just a love note from Oliver, proclaiming his undying love for me."

"I thought we moved past that point in his obsession with Hannah." Lilly joked, "I thought we'd moved on to stalking and raiding your trashcans."

Miley whapped Lilly gently in the stomach, "Don't even joke about that."

Lilly chortled. "As if Oliver would do that. He gave up on Hannah, you know that."

Hesitantly chuckling, Miley nodded. She was just glad that Lilly had seemingly forgotten about the purse. Robby Ray watched the exchange silently, wishing there was something he could do to help his little girl. It was obvious to him that Miley was head-over-heels for Lilly, and that Lilly was completely oblivious.

Other than the purse, the limo ride was uneventful. Miley had gotten fairly quiet; she was still thinking about the unsung song sitting written on a scrap of paper. Lilly twiddled her thumbs, wanting to talk, but not willing, for once, to start a conversation. The silence acted like peanut butter in her mouth, sticking her tongue to the roof of her mouth and making it difficult to speak.

It seemed like hours before Robby opened one of the doors and stepped out. Miley scurried out behind him with Lilly hot on her tail. Both blushed mildly as Lilly collided into Miley as she tripped on the curb.

Miley was rushed into make-up as soon as she stepped into the concert stadium. Lilly waved at Miley's retreating form. Robby stood next to her, his arms folded against his chest. He stared down at Lilly, wishing his mustache would stop itching. Lilly glanced at him and smiled weakly.

"Mr. Montana…" she acknowledged him, wondering if he knew that he was staring. It was making her uncomfortable.

"Lola." He tilted his hat slightly in greeting. "What d'you say we go wait in her dressing room?"

"Will there be hot dogs? Or sushi? Or a chocolate fountain? Or how about cookies?" Lilly instantly forgot about any embarrassment she might have felt and bolted off to find food. She, like many adolescent boys, was easily swayed by good food.

Robby Ray chuckled and headed in the same direction, although his pace was a great deal slower. He just hoped Lilly didn't choke on anything. She reminded him so much of Jackson at times. Both of them were vacuum cleaners. It was no surprise to hear Lilly's happy shouts a few moments later.

"Mini corndogs! Lola like-y!"

When he arrived in the dressing room, Lilly had collapsed to the couch, hand resting on her stomach, eyes closed in delight. Half the tray of mini corndogs had disappeared into her belly.

"Lola?" He waved a hand in front of her blissful face. She didn't physically respond but managed a happy grunt. "Can you open your eyes, kiddo?"

She pried one open, "Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk." He sat on the coffee table in front of her, waiting for her to sit up straight.

"About what?" Still rubbing her stomach, Lilly leaned forward, propping herself up by settling her chin on her hands and her elbows on her knees.

"Miley. She told me about what happened but I wanted to make sure you know what you're giving up."

Lilly fell back against the couch, cheeks stained a brilliant red. "Mr. Montana…"

"Listen, Lola, she loves you. I don't know if you're seeing some boy but I'm willin' to bet he doesn't love you."

"There's nothing going on with Todd!" Lilly snapped, not enjoying this conversation. She was still trying to figure things out and she didn't need Miley's father lecturing her.

"Well, okay, but I just wish you'd give Miles a chance. Is it because she's a girl?" Robby reached up and adjusted his hat. His eyes never left Lilly's though she was looking everywhere else in the room but at him.

She was saved from answering as Miley plowed into the room, painted up to perfection. Her wig was settled safely on her head, though a few strands were caught in her lip gloss. Lilly jumped to her feet, skittering away from Robby Ray. She reached forward, brushing the hairs out of Miley's face. Her blush had faded from tomato stain to faint pink.

Miley beamed at her. "This is going to be a great concert."

"Yeah, especially since your good luck charm is feelin' lucky." Lilly rubbed her hands together, blowing on them slightly. Miley giggled.

And, barring one obsessed fan nearly crawling on stage, the performance was flawless and Miley produced not one, nor two, but four encore songs. By the time she was done singing, her face was flushed and her adrenaline was pumping. She practically danced off stage, swinging Lilly around as she worked off her performance high.

"To the party!" She yelled, tossing the mike to her dad. Lilly grinned manically – this was what she was waiting for. There would, undoubtedly, be hot guys at this party. It would enough to convince her that she, Lilly Truscott, was still into boys.

Unfortunately, the party proved something else to Lilly. It showed her just how jealous and possessive she could be over her best friend. Miley didn't seem to notice, for which Lilly was grateful but every time a guy came to hit on Hannah, Lola was right there, cutting off conversation and dragging Miley off to get more punch.

"There are a lot of guys here." Lilly complained, grabbing a cup of punch.

"No more that usual, Lola." Miley riposted, snagging a cup for herself.

"But they're all hitting on you. And you're flirting with them!" Lilly snapped her mouth shut. So what? So what if Miley was flirting and having a good time with the guys? Lilly had no right to infringe on that. After all, she'd turned Miley down.

"What do you want me to do? Paint a large 'FLIRTING PROHIBITED' sandwich board sign and wear it over my clothes?" If Miley didn't know better, she'd say that Lilly was acting like a possessive girlfriend.

"Yes," Lilly sniffed, "That would be nice."

Miley laughed out loud at that. Maybe this was just a joke to Lilly. It must be. She shook the silly notion that Lilly was starting to like her out of her head. That was a train of thought that was sure to get into a massive wreck.

For the rest of the evening, though, she watched as Lilly continuously blocked any male from talking to her. It was almost amusing. Lilly was trailing behind her like a guard dog, sending glares at people as she seemingly staked out her territory.

"Look, Lola, I've got to use the bathroom. Wait here for me? Great." Miley handed Lilly the glass of punch before hurrying to the restroom. She wasn't alone inside, though – her dark haired, nasally-challenged friend was fixing her make-up.

"Oooh, Hannah, your concert was amaaazing. But why is that Lola girl all over you? Are you two, like, dating?" Traci popped her shoulders up and down and twisted a strand of hair between her fingers.

"No, Lola's still just the best friend. She's just looking out for me." Miley headed for an open stall.

"Still just the best friend." Traci repeated, apparently unsatisfied with that answer, "So, what, are you waiting for more?"

Miley held off on answering. She really disliked holding conversations while she was using the facilities. Upon exiting and washing her hands, she shrugged. "I guess."

"Ooooh!" Traci puckered and smacked her lips, deciding that she was perfect enough. "You'll have to let me know how that goes. She's pretty, for all she's such a dork."

Miley chuckled softly as she went to the paper towels, drying her hands. Traci was such an odd girl. She didn't think she'd ever understand the workings of that twisted little mind. When she found Lilly again, the other girl was still cradling Miley's drink, posture suggesting her discomfort. Her face relaxed when Miley was back in view; she broke into a wide smile.

"Hannah! There you are! I was beginning to wonder if you fell into the toilet." Lilly handed Miley her drink back. "You drink was getting a little warm, so I got you an ice cube. Well, two ice cubes."

"Thanks, Lola." Miley thought this behavior was cute, if nothing else.

The rest of the evening was much of the same, though Lola lapsed a few times as celebrities caught her attention. Although she was no newbie to Hannah's world, she was still star-struck easily and her shrill shrieks were common place.

Miley was all too happy when the party was over, though. She really just wanted to spend some quality time with Lilly, without the loud music and yammering people. Most of all she wanted Lilly to relax for more than two seconds. By the time they got to the Stewart house, it was going on one in the morning. The girls clambered into Miley's bed, asleep before they even hit the pillows.

_Lilly sat at the table in Miley's kitchen, watching Miley bustle around, a tidy hot pink apron tied neatly around Miley's waist. Miley was whistling a familiar tune that haunted the air and she was fiddling with something that Lilly couldn't see. Miley appeared intent on what she was doing, her hands busily hidden from view. While Miley was busy, Lilly glanced around the room, and was deeply confused by the shades of gray that clung to everywhere else in the house._

_Miley approached, holding her creation daintily by her fingertips. Her face was cheerful and her whistling had dimmed into humming. It drove Lilly nuts – the tune was achingly familiar, but she couldn't place it. Rather than waste time thinking about it, though, Lilly turned her attention to Miley's hands. Sitting in those slim fingers was a small dolphin carved out of a kind of shiny rock. Lilly reached for it, trying to take it, but only succeeded in letting it drop and shatter on the floor._

_Lilly dropped to her knees, reaching for the shards. She winced slightly as a jagged edge cut her finger. Drops of blood welled up, drizzling down her hands and splattered to the floor, but she ignored it, intent on fixing the figurine. Before she could pick up the pieces, Miley grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her feet. Miley's face was the picture of innocence and it was if she didn't see the blood coating Lilly's hands. Lilly stared at Miley a moment, and then glanced back at her hands; she was shocked to find them completely clean._

_Miley still hadn't spoken a word and Lilly opened her mouth to speak, only to find that her lips were sealed. No amount of jerking or straining could part them. Frustrated, she reached up, prying with sharp fingernails. The only product of her pain was sore lips. Once again, Miley seized her hands, but this time Lilly found herself being tugged from the kitchen and into the black and white world around them._

_They stopped, or rather Miley stopped and Lilly tumbled to a halt, outside in a flower garden. It was a garden that Lilly had never seen before and she couldn't quite remember how Miley had gotten them there, but it struck her as irrelevant. Miley reached out, plucking a gray rose and sniffing it once before tossing it aside. It took only a moment for Miley's attention to return to Lilly._

_Miley leaned forward and Lilly watched; it felt as if she was outside of her body and none of this was really happening to her anymore. In a flash, Miley's lips were on her neck, Miley's hands caressing her sides and ribs gently. The other Lilly moaned quietly, hands reciprocating the attention by sliding up Miley's arms and linking behind the brunette's neck. One of Miley's hands left Lilly's stomach, traveling south, while Miley proceeded to ravish Lilly's lips with her own._

Lilly sat bolt up right in bed, panting and sweaty. Miley rolled over next to her and Lilly scrambled away slowly, her dream still playing on the insides of her eyelids every time she shut her eyes. It wasn't a scary dream, but it terrified the blonde more than any nightmare could have. She'd dreamt of boys before, not doing quite the same thing, but in the same sort of idea. But she'd never dreamt of Miley that way. The most disturbing part of it was that she had actually seemed to be enjoying the attention, willing, even, to return it.

She huddled at the foot of the bed, curling up well away from Miley's innocent face. With her back to her best friend, Lilly shut her eyes, willing the dream away. Instead she ran through a list of vegetables, which she always found distracting. She could always argue with herself for a while over whether or not tomatoes counted. It was enough to calm her frazzled nerves and lull her back to sleep.


	7. Emotional Maze

**Ah, for the rush of this posting. I'm supposed to be in the car right now, but I thought I should get this out. Chapter seven, voila.**

**I fixed some errors in this chapter that I didn't see before. I had to post this early in the morning and quickly since I was heading out to go college visiting and didn't know when I'd be back. And I know this is the second Oscar Wilde quote -- I just love him so.**

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_The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.__ - _Oscar Wilde

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At nine o'clock in the morning on Saturday, Lilly woke again, this time to someone pounding on Miley's door loudly. She groaned softly – the dream and several others like it had been constant companions during her rest and she did not appreciate them. Perhaps, she reasoned, they came merely because she was sleeping in the same bed as her buddy. However, that didn't make sense; it wasn't as if she had never slept next to Miley before.

Miley sat up, rubbing a fist over her eyes. She spotted Lilly at the other end of the bed and tilted her head. Her tired and confused look lapsed into a yawn. She snagged a pillow and chucked it at her door.

"Stop it Jackson!" she hollered loudly, hoping it would be enough to get the pounding to cease.

"Get up, you two! Dad's finished making pancakes!" he hollered back, just as loudly. But the pounding stopped. "And if you don't hurry up, I'm eating yours, too."

Lilly stumbled to her feet, hoping Miley wouldn't ask what she was doing at the foot of the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, taming it slightly. Miley followed suit, though her hair was slightly wilder than Lilly's. Together they tottered downstairs and into the waiting chairs around the table.

Lilly was extremely uncomfortable. Just looking at the kitchen made her think about the Dream. In her mind, it now had a capital letter. It just felt like it needed one. The Dream made her feel funny, especially in her nether region and that was not something she wanted to portray over breakfast.

Fortunately, nobody paid much attention to her as they feasted. Robby Ray was busy arguing with Jackson over Jackson's household chores, and how they never seemed to get done. After the bout of silence that Robby had inflicted on his son as punishment the last time, he'd thought the problem was fixed. All that happened, though, was Jackson starting his chores and then stopping halfway through. Miley was too tired to talk about much and her face was nearly in her pancakes.

After breakfast was eaten by Lilly and Robby Ray, inhaled by Jackson, and absorbed via osmosis by Miley, the two girls headed back upstairs to clean up. Miley hit the shower first and Lilly occupied herself by rooting around Miley's room idly. She neatened the bed, pushed in a few drawers that were jutting out and finally crashed on Miley's desk chair.

Half an hour later, Miley emerged from the bathroom and reentered her bedroom, towel wrapped tightly around her body. Lilly gulped slightly, eyes fixated momentarily on the curves the towel so nicely portrayed. She grabbed her change of clothing and ran for the bathroom herself. She silently reprimanded herself for gazing at Miley's barely clad body in any way shape or form. That was not how best friends looked at each other.

Miley watched Lilly hurry away with a bemused smile riding on her face. She waited until the door to the bathroom was securely closed before pulling on the day's clothing. Casting a few secretive glances around, she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a slim black journal. She opened it to a fresh page, dated it, and set the tip of her pen down on the first line.

**Dear Diary – **

**Lilly has been acting really funny lately. And I mean really funny. She won't meet my eyes, she hasn't said much, and last night she was so protective, it was pretty funny. But I don't know what to make of it. **

**Does she like me? I know she doesn't want to date me, but could she possibly want to now? I mean, I told her like four days ago. Is that enough for someone to make a full turn around, emotionally? **

**I'd really love to know what Lilly's thinking. Blah! I feel like every time I write in here, it's all about Lilly. But that's kinda what's going on with me. She's in the shower right now, but I'm not going to think of that. Thinking about that would end up badly. **

**I think I embarrassed her, though, coming into the same room as her in only a towel. But that used to happen a lot. Did my confession ruin our comfort? Is Lilly anxious that I'm hitting on her? I don't want to make her uncomfortable. I think I'll have to ease off and be quiet for a while. Cut off all contact and any chatter she might take the wrong way. **

**Well, the water stopped in the bathroom, so that means I have like ten minutes before she comes back. But I don't want to cut it any closer I have to. So I'll stop now. Safer that way. **

Miley snapped the journal shut, feeling a little better, even though her thoughts seemed drab and disappointing. Just getting it off her chest and out of her head was a relief. She slid the slim book back into the drawer and proceeded to wait as patiently as she could.

Her estimation was about right – eleven minutes later a clean and redressed Lilly appeared in her doorway, smiling. In the shower, Lilly had taken a few moments to clear her mind and bury the Dream deeply in her memories. Hopefully it wouldn't pop up at an inopportune moment. She focused her mind as she cleaned.

Miley was still just her best friend, right? What she was feeling was how she'd always felt, but Miley's confession had probably caused her to be hyper-aware of what she thought. It made sense to her and she accepted the reasoning. But that only brought up further worries – Had she really felt this way about Miley the whole time?

Rather than worry herself to pieces and waste water, Lilly hurried up and rinsed off. She shut the water off and reached for her towel. As she wrapped it around her body and began rubbing herself dry, she was hit by another inquisitive thought. Why was she so against feeling something for Miley? Lilly had to admit that Miley was the prettiest girl she knew. And not to mention loyal. Miley had stuck by her through a lot, even after their friendly spats. She'd never had someone so devoted to her before.

So if it wasn't Miley that she was afraid of loving, what was it? Lilly gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully. Sure, she was afraid of what other people would say if they found out. It was almost like a nightmare and her overactive imagination would undoubtedly make it ten times worse than it would be. Of course, people had been whispering about her sexuality since freshman year. She'd blown that off, knowing it was just a silly rumor. It was bound to be around since she skateboarded and wasn't as in to fashion as the girls around her. Most people considered her 'one of the guys'. It didn't help that her handful of boyfriends didn't seem to stick.

As she slid her shorts on, she made a decision. She was going to take today to watch Miley and see if their interactions lead to anything. That meant she was going to have to maintain a low level of contact and constant conversation with the other girl. Then, at the end of the day, she'd have her answer. Maybe by Sunday Miley would have an answer, too.

So when she appeared in Miley's doorway, her smile was genuine. She was ready to grab the bull by the horns and take control of her wayward feelings.

"Ready to do some science?" she asked.

"When you are, captain." Miley mocked a salute, "I figured we could start with the maze before getting a rodent."

"Sounds good." Lilly's face screwed up slightly, "Er, where are we going to get a rodent?"

"My piano."

"That's right!" Lilly giggled, "I forgot about Linda, the wonder mouse."

Miley nodded, "I thought we could use some shoeboxes for the maze. Maybe one for the start and one for the finish? And tons of cardboard for the rest."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Lilly walked over, laying a hand on Miley's arm. Miley jerked back slightly and Lilly noticed immediately, but said nothing.

They set to work. Hours drifted by as they constructed their project; it wasn't a lengthy process, but they made it that way by chattering occasionally. Lilly kept trying to put her hands on Miley, and Miley kept trying to keep away. It was confusing to both of them. To Lilly it seemed like Miley had stopped liking her and was repulsed by her touch. To Miley it seemed like Lilly was teasing her, which she didn't think Lilly would do.

Lunch time came and went. Miley left Lilly to work on the maze, which was almost done, to go and fix them a few sandwiches, a big bowl of popcorn, and two sodas. She was gone for a total of six minutes and in that time Lilly had managed to wreck half the project.

Miley stared at the mayhem that was once her hard work and sighed. "Sweet nibblets, Lilly… what did you do?"

Lilly gulped and shifted from foot to foot, hands clasped in front of her. She jerked them unsuccessfully – they were stuck together. "I leaned in some super glue… and… then panicked…"

Miley chuckled, "Should I get you to the emergency room?"

"No!" Lilly cried. "I brought the cheap stuff. I just need to put it under water."

Still giggling madly, Miley helped Lilly to the bathroom, turning on the sink water. While Lilly washed her hands free Miley drummed her fingers on the porcelain, thinking. Lilly eyed her cautiously; they were standing less than half a foot a part, the closest they'd been since breakfast.

"Are you mad at me?" Lilly asked meekly, scrubbing her hands vigorously.

"No?" Miley returned, "Why would you think that?"

And even before she answered, the reason was clear. Of course Lilly would notice that every time they touched, Miley would cringe away. Miley felt very stupid, but it was too late to fix it.

"You don't let me touch you." Lilly's eyes widened slightly – she leapt wildly to the wrong conclusion. Miley was trying to get away because it was torture. Touching Lilly was touching the forbidden fruit. "That's okay. You know what, just forget I said anything. It's okay. I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay. I should write a book about being okay, that's how okay I am."

"Lilly…" Miley slid one eyebrow up, waiting for Lilly to snap her mouth shut.

"Yeah?"

"It's fine. I'm just being silly."

"Well, okay." Lilly relented, drying her hands. They returned to the world of maze building in relatively uncomfortable silence. The quiet lasted a total of two minutes before Lilly's dam burst and she began chattering as if nothing had happened. After that it was easy enough for Miley to relax, too.

The damage Lilly had caused was rectified and the maze was completed. Together they lifted it downstairs, careful so as not to ruin it, and settled it next to the piano. Lilly went to the fridge and selected a few wedges of cheese, while Miley opened the top of the piano and, cautiously, lifted Linda out.

Several runs later, they had collected enough data to create a lab-write up and small essay. Linda was resettled into her piano-home and Lilly leaped upon the maze, jumping on it. She'd been dying to do that.

"Do you always have to be so destructive?" Miley joked, watching as Lilly went on to kick the cardboard monster.

"Only sometimes." Lilly grunted.

Miley grinned and turned away, "Well when you're done, we can watch some television."

In an instant, the maze was discarded and Lilly had thrown herself over the back of the couch, nestling down between the cushions, "Woo!"

"Y'know, I get the feeling that Oliver isn't the only doughnut I know." Miley settled down near Lilly's feet, hitting the power button on the remote. They watched the ending of a sitcom, since it was near the end of the hour, before flipping through the channels. Miley paused a moment on the news channel.

"Our meteorologist, Phil Metcalf, will tell us about the coming meteor shower." The anchor fiddled with the papers in front of him, trying to look important and interested.

"Tonight is a great night to get outside, John." Phil responded, tapping the wall behind him. Phil was a slightly overweight man with patchy gray hair. His tweed suit was tailored to his form, large stomach and all, and he looked half-professional, save for the fact that his thick-lensed glasses were perched crookedly on his nose. The wall was merely green to him, but to ever other viewer it showed a nice nighttime sky scene. "Shooting stars everywhere. Just grab a blanket and some hot chocolate and look up to the sky. It should start around ten o'clock, and last an hour, at least."

Lilly jumped to her feet, excited. Miley watched her, deeply amused – Lilly was so easily keyed up.

"Miley! We should watch!" Lilly nearly yelled, "Come on! You know you want to! I'll bring the blanket, you bring the hot chocolate, Nature brings the entertainment…"

"Sure," Miley got up as well. It was nearly five, so there was plenty of time to clean up the mess they made while making the maze for science class and to make some hot chocolate.

Lilly ran for the door, nearly outside before she yelled back, "I'll meet you in your backyard in at nine-thirty, okay?"

"Okay!" Miley hollered, though she knew Lilly was already gone. She shook her head knowingly and began neatening the living room. Turning the television off, she fumbled with the remote a moment.

If this was Jake she might consider this date material. But Lilly was still insistent that she wasn't feeling a relationship. It was frustrating, but for now all Miley could do was hope and wait. Maybe she'd wish on a star and suddenly Lilly would love her back. Maybe those touches earlier were Lilly's way of saying she was interested.

Time slipped past quickly and soon enough Miley was dumping the hot chocolate into a thermos, grabbing two large coffee mugs, and hurrying to the backyard. Lilly was already there, spreading a relatively small blanket. There was enough room for two, but not for spreading out.

Miley tucked the thermos into the sand, settling the cups down beside it. She helped Lilly flatten the blanket out; their fingers brushed for a millisecond at one corner and Miley tried to ignore the tremors it caused. She wanted nothing more than to run her fingers over Lilly's. She wanted to claim what she felt should be hers, but she fought off the shiver of excitement before plopping down onto the blanket, lying with her arms propped against her stomach. This was going to be a platonic evening as long as she could manage to keep her hands to herself. Lilly mimicked her position right next to her. Just before ten the first few shooting stars appeared, rushing across the darkened sky.

"Make a wish, Mile." Lilly whispered quietly.


	8. Saddling Up

**And here is chapter eight. Finally, right? In the interest of changing things up, I'll resist the temptation to use another Oscar Wilde quote. I swear, if that man was alive and straight, I'd marry him. And I'm aware there's a little inconsistency in this chapter, but it's that way on purpose.**

**In regards to the song -- it'll come into the story eventually. I have a little more to get through before, though. ****Other response -- I wish this was my take on Wish Gone Amiss, but I didn't think about it until most of the story was already written. But maybe I'll write something like that in the future after this is done.**

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_Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway._ _- _John Wayne

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"Make a wish, Mile." Lilly whispered quietly.

"I wish…" Miley trailed off, thinking. As much as she wanted Lilly's affection, she wasn't desperate enough to wish for it. It was a silly idea she'd had and now it was easy to brush off, "…for nothing. There's not much more I could ask for."

Lilly giggled softly, "I wish for happiness for us both."

Miley nudged Lilly with an elbow, "Nice thought. Have you thought about writing greeting cards?"

"Nope. But I have thought about working at Hallmark as a cashier." Lilly joked. She hoped she sounded at ease. Internally she was screaming. Just that small brush of Miley's elbow on her side was reawakening memories of the Dream. The darkness hid the blush that threatened to overwhelm her face.

They fell into silence, content to watch the stars shooting overhead. Lilly didn't want to stay quiet for long, though, but rather than talk, she moved her arm so that her hand was on Miley's stomach. A little more motion got her fingers laced with Miley's, much to the surprise of the other girl. Perhaps, she reasoned, if she liked the activity in the Dream, she'd like it as much while awake.

Miley didn't speak. It was almost too good to be true. That Lilly would do something like that had to be a good sign. But, ever cautious, she neither moved her arm to or from Lilly. Letting Lilly take the reins was safe.

And so for a while, they held hands. The world around them was peaceful and quiet. There was nobody else in Miley's backyard, though some rowdier people were a short ways down the beach. They could hear the gentle crash of the waves against the shore as the ocean lapped the sand. They could hear the low chirp of nightly insects going about their insect business. And each could hear the thudding of their own hearts, growing consistently louder.

Finally Lilly rolled onto her side, freeing her hand. She leaned on an elbow, staring at Miley's face. Before Miley could speak, Lilly leaned forward, kissing her. Miley was shocked; this was more than she would have even wished for. It was innocent enough, chaste to say the most, but it was enough to sate Miley's desire. When Lilly drew away, Miley placed a fingertip to her lips, silent. Lilly withdrew, blushing.

"I'm sorry…" Lilly murmured, "I just had to know…"

Miley swallowed roughly, trying to find the right words. That kiss was so much more than what she got with Jake. It was filled with feeling, tenderness. Jake was rough and boisterous with his kisses, much like his personality. Lilly was shy and soft, quite the opposite of her personality.

"It's okay." Miley returned. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a one time deal.

Lilly let her gaze wander Miley's body, mentally kicking herself for not seeing it earlier. Thinking about it now, she couldn't guess as to how she missed the beauty of her best friend, how she missed the feeling between them that was obviously there. She realized now that even back when Miley confessed, she had wanted Miley's attention. It just took a lot of pushing to get those feelings into the spotlight of her mind.

"I'm sorry, Miley." Lilly started again, "For turning you down before. I'll be yours… That is… if you still want me…"

Miley stared blankly at her. _If you still want me_. A few seconds passed and Lilly was growing anxious. Lilly reached a hand towards Miley's face, intent on waving it vigorously to get Miley's attention, but it wasn't needed. Miley grabbed the hand with surprising strength. She jerked Lilly forward, throwing the blonde off balance and into another kiss.

"Of course I want you."

Lilly scooted closer on the blanket, resting her head on Miley's shoulder. They sat there awkwardly a moment. Lilly wasn't sure if she was doing this right. She'd never been too touchy feely with boys and she had no idea if she was supposed to act the same in a situation like this. Was one of them supposed to take over the boy's role and be dominant? Who was supposed to hold whom?

"So does this mean that I'm your girlfriend?" Lilly murmured quietly. "And does that make you my boyfriend."

Miley chuckled. Lilly's humor was a good tension breaker. "I think I'm your girlfriend at the same time that you're mine. But I don't know. I haven't exactly done this before."

Lilly sighed, "Well, if you ever decide that we need gender roles, I totally call being the girl. You can do all the boy-work like buying me flowers and chocolate."

Shoulders shaking with mirth, Miley shook her head slowly, "Let's not be hasty here. I'll buy chocolate for you, if you buy me flowers?"

"Well what if I want flowers?"

"Then I'll buy you flowers." Miley tilted her head down and kissed Lilly's temple. It was exciting to have Lilly so close and so willing.

Lilly wriggled slightly, readjusting so she could see Miley's face, "Are we going to tell people?"

"We have to tell Oliver." Miley reasoned. "And I think you should tell your family."

"Just me? Why can't you tell your dad and Jackson?"

"My dad already knows, and Jackson… Well, Jackson probably is spying on us right now." Miley chuckled.

Lilly let her eyes slide shut. She felt entirely too tired. Telling her parents was going to be interesting, to say the least. As far as she knew, her parents were accepting, but she had no idea about her brother. She valued his opinion of her too much to throw it away.

"Do I have to?"

Miley ran a hand through Lilly's hair, "I'd like you to. I'm not going to force you, or anything. And I know this is newer for you than it is for me."

Lilly sighed deeply. It was new for her, but she couldn't deny that it felt right. Her eyes reopened. "I'll try, okay? No promises, though."

"No promises." Miley repeated, agreeing. The fact that Lilly was even willing to think about it was a start.

"Look!" Lilly's attention was suddenly diverted as a particularly bright star rocketed through the sky.

Miley watched it thoughtfully, "It's getting late, Lils."

"Yeah," Lilly sat up slowly, stretching her arms out. A glance down at Miley reaffirmed that the butterflies in her stomach were caused by the other girl and this relationship wasn't a mistake.

"We didn't even touch the hot chocolate," Miley gestured to the now cold beverage.

"I'm sure Jackson'll drink it." Lilly tossed her hand flippantly. Her grin grew wickedly. "You should slip some hot sauce in before you give it to him. Make it real hot chocolate."

"Lilly, if I prank Jackson, do you know what'll happen? I'll wake up with a toilet seat glued to my forehead, or bright blue hair, or my eyebrows shaved off. You don't mess with Jackson unless you're prepared to deal with his consequences."

Lilly's grin didn't fade, "That sounds like fun…"

Miley didn't like where this was going, "Lilly…"

"I've got to plan." Lilly announced. She was on her feet in a heart beat.

Reluctantly standing, Miley eyed Lilly for a moment. Was it too soon to give Lilly another kiss? Was she trying to move this too fast? Lilly seemed to be thinking about the same thing. They stared at each other for a few tense moments before Lilly stepped forward.

Her hands found their way to Miley's hips, pulling the taller girl towards her. Easing onto the balls of her feet, Lilly leaned up, kissing Miley hesitantly. Miley's hands flew to cup Lilly's jaw line. It was brief, though, because Jackson could be heard crowing just a few yards away and Miley wasn't interested in giving him a peep-show.

As Lilly waved good bye, she was dancing on the inside. Finally agreeing to be with Miley was quite possibly the best decision she ever made, if those short kisses were anything to judge by.

Miley collected the hot chocolate and considered Lilly's suggestion a moment. It was looking better and better as the seconds ticked by, she had to admit. Logically speaking, though, pulling a prank on Jackson was like bleeding profusely in front of a great white shark – ill-advised and bound to end badly.

In the end, she dumped the excess liquid down the drain. She wasn't ready to play with fire and she really didn't want to get burned. Lilly, however, was already deep in thought, deciding the best way to anonymously prank Jackson. It had to be big, it had to be great, it had to be something the older boy wouldn't expect, in a million years. Her musings allowed her to avoid thinking about telling her parents about Miley.

Sunday morning rolled around and Lilly found herself lying awake at seven, staring up at the ceiling. Miley was right – trying to keep it from family and friends was bound to be a bad idea. Lilly knew she'd hate if someone found out by walking in on them doing something.

A blush painted her cheeks at that thought. Less than a week ago she'd never have thought about 'doing something' with Miley. Now it was almost desirable. Lilly ran her hand over her rumpled covers, still slightly uncomfortable with these new thoughts.

"Lilly! Are you up?" Her mother pushed her door open – The Truscotts weren't big on privacy. If a door wasn't locked, it meant that anybody was allowed to come in. It took Miley a while to get used to this when she and Lilly had originally started hanging out.

Lilly groaned quietly but sat up. She nodded slowly, rubbing a finger across her eye to knock sleep-seeds free. "What's up, Mom?"

"I was looking for someone to help me in the garden."

Lilly stifled a yawn, "Can't you ask Will?"

"No. Will is already at work," Mrs. Truscott replied.

"I'll help," Lilly agreed with a tiny grumble. What was the use of having a sibling if he didn't do the work for her? Will, her older brother, was starting college in the fall and was working as many hours at Target as he could before he had to leave.

"Good. I wouldn't shower first. Just throw on the clothes you were wearing yesterday, okay?" When Lilly nodded, Mrs. Truscott turned to leave the room, "Great. Come outside when you're dressed."

Lilly pulled on her dirty clothes, unease bubbling through her stomach. This would be a good time to test the water with her mom. There was nobody else around and Lilly would have her mom's full attention. If something went wrong, Miley was three doors down.

She wandered into the front yard and hit the dirt next to her mom, who smiled lovingly at her daughter. Lilly's hair was still fairly messy, but she'd at least thought to pull it back into a pony tail. Mrs. Truscott pushed a strand of hair behind Lilly's ear before gesturing to the weeds.

"Mom… can I talk to you?" Lilly started hesitantly, unsure what she was going to say.

"Of course, Lil. You can tell me anything." Mrs. Truscott didn't look up from her work.

"I don't know how to say it, I guess… Well… I'm seeing someone…" Lilly stated cautiously.

Still her mom didn't look up from weeding, "Okay. Was that so hard?"

"That's not the hard part." Lilly muttered.

Mrs. Truscott sighed, "I wish you would trust me, Lilly."

Lilly shrugged, pulling on some gardening gloves. She decided that it was safest to skirt the issue first. "Miley told me she was bisexual."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Kinda weird, isn't it?" Lilly tried to lead her mom into stating an opinion on homosexuals.

"Not especially." Mrs. Truscott prided herself on being very open minded when it came to love.

"Not at all? I mean, shouldn't love be between a man and a woman?"

"Lilly. Haven't I taught you from a young age that you are who you are? It's not up to other people to decide how love works? And I thought you'd be a little more accepting since she's your best friend."

"Mom… she's the one I'm seeing."


	9. The Set Up

**This chapter is kinda a filler chapter. It had to be here before things get rolling again, but again, I'm trying to keep chapters about the same size. I couldn't finish the last scene in this chapter without extending it a ways. But! I finally figured out how I want to end this, so there is an end in sight. Not for a while, but it's there.**

**But chapter ten will be put it up soon enough.**

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_When in doubt, tell the truth. - _Mark Twain

---

"Mom… she's the one I'm seeing."

That was cause enough for the weeding to pause. Lilly stared around the garden while she waited for her mom to respond. It was a massive garden and it was obvious that her mom had been working on it the day before and perhaps the day before yesterday. It was an on-going process.

"Oh. How'd she ask you?"

"How do you know I didn't ask her?" Lilly demanded. She had expected a fight. She thought that her mom would have had a worse reaction, but now there was no where for her built up anxiety to go.

"Lil, up until now I would have sworn up and down the block that you were boy-crazy. You wouldn't make such a drastic turn around without your own mother noticing."

Lilly blushed slightly, "Oh. She wrote me a song."

"Was that enough to convince you?"

Lilly ducked her head, ashamed, "I didn't even listen to it. I turned her down, actually. That was last week. And since then I've been driving myself crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about her…"

Lilly had to admit – having someone to talk to was very nice.

"So when did you finally accept?"

"Last night, during the meteor shower. I just couldn't get over how she's making me feel. And I had to know how it felt to, well, kiss her." Lilly felt only slightly uncomfortable talking with her mom about this. She just had to pretend that this was just talking about a boy.

"I'm proud of you, Lil, for telling me. I know it was hard," Mrs. Truscott murmured, returning to the gardening, "So, want to help me plant some begonias later?"

Lilly balked. Weeding was one thing. Spending her day in the garden was another entirely. "Um, I promised Miley I'd come over."

Mrs. Truscott laughed lightly, "Of course you did. Just remember that it's a school night tonight."

Lilly hugged her mom and ran inside to shower up. She took that as a dismissal from doing the yard work. In her rush, she neglected to eat anything before running out of the house, skateboard in one hand. Her stomach was grumbling unhappily when she pulled out her cell and called the Stewart house.

With her Lilly Landing proclaimed, Lilly skateboarded as quickly as she could, carefully avoiding the crack in the cement. She glided easily into the Stewart living room, hopping from her board and throwing her arms into the air.

"And she sticks the landing!"

Miley chuckled. She had thrown the door open and had just closed it. "Hey, Lil."

"I told her."

"What?" Miley's jaw dropped open slightly.

"My mom. I told her and she was totally cool with it. With us, I mean." Lilly beamed happily. That was one weight off her shoulders, "Now comes the rest of my family."

"I'm glad." Miley slung an arm around Lilly's shoulders. "So, did you give up the silly idea of pranking Jackson?"

Lilly shook her head, "I just have to work through the little details. Would you be willing to help me out?"

Miley hesitated but nodded. Now that Lilly was her girlfriend, she felt the need to help and support Lilly more than usual. Even though she'd probably be the one Jackson wreaked his revenge upon. Lilly cackled quietly, mind churning.

"We're going to need a camera, hair extensions, and make up." Lilly murmured, "Do you think we could get him into a dress while he's sleeping?"

Miley instantly regretted agreeing. "I'm not undressing and redressing my brother."

"We'd only have to take his shirt off, if he's wearing one. Since the picture can be from the waist up."

"Are you sure you want to do this? Because there are so many other things we could be doing with a Sunday morning."

"When does Jackson normally wake up?" Lilly seemed to ignore the opposition.

"Well, it's Sunday, so I'd say around eleven. He starts work at noon."

Lilly glanced to a clock and grimaced; it was nearing nine. If the process took too long, Jackson would wake up and find out what they did. It wasn't worth the risk right now. They'd have to do it another day.

"Okay… so what else could we be doing on a Sunday morning?" Lilly relented. Pulling pranks was only fun when you had a safety net of time to get away.

"There's the beach, the mall, the movies, skateboarding for you and watching for me, hanging with Oliver, watching television, getting something to eat…" Miley trailed off, waiting for Lilly to pick something.

"Eating. I vote for eating." Lilly rubbed her stomach, "I haven't eaten all morning. And then we can crash here and watch a movie."

Miley smiled, "Do you want to go to a restaurant or have me whip something up?"

Lilly decided quickly, as her stomach was demanding, "You. I don't know if I can wait through anything longer."

They both headed to the kitchen. Lilly took a seat at the island countertop, leaning her chin on the cool surface, while Miley found an apron. She tied it tightly around her waist and turned to show it off to Lilly. It was new and in one of her favorite colors – pink.

Lilly fell off her chair.

Miley was at her side in a millisecond, hesitantly putting her hand on Lilly's forehead, "Are you okay? You don't feel sick."

Lilly blushed, sitting up, "It's just… That apron… You were wearing something like it in a dream I had a few nights ago."

"You dreamed about me in an apron?" Miley tried not to smile, not wanting to poke fun at Lilly's unconscious mind.

"Well, yeah." Lilly chuckled lowly, "But I'm hungry now."

Helping Lilly to her feet, Miley gestured to the kitchen, "What am I making?"

"I'd like some toast."

"So have you wished it, so shall it be done." Miley folded her arms on top of each other in front of her body and jerked her head. She dug through a cabinet and pulled out a shiny silver toaster and then followed it up by throwing two pieces of bread into the slots.

"You're amazing." Lilly watched the toaster eagerly, "Do you have cinnamon sugar?"

"Of course. Jackson throws a fit if we don't." Miley went to the fridge and grabbed the tub of butter. After setting the butter on the counter in front of Lilly, she went to a shelf and sifted through some bottles. While Miley was looking around, Lilly took the distraction to snag an empty bowl. Eventually Miley found the cinnamon sugar. By the time she had found the hidden topping, the toast had popped and Lilly was back in her seat and had buttered it.

"Here y'go." Miley presented it with a flourish of one hand.

"Aren't you eating, too?" Lilly asked a moment before crashing her mouth around the toast hungrily.

"Naw, I had cereal earlier." Miley replied, leaning on the counter. Her fingertips scratched the spotless surface.

"Oh. I'm sorry!" Lilly cried between bites. She didn't want to make Miley wait around for her.

"It's okay." And it was. Miley had no problem providing for Lilly and then settling back to watch the other girl enjoy herself; and Lilly was enjoying that toast a little too much, in Miley's opinion.

"Why don't you call Oliver?" Lilly suggested, reaching for the second slice. "We might as well get telling him out of the way."

Miley grinned – every since she'd told her mother, Lilly seemed so much more open about things. At that moment Miley really wanted to hug Mrs. Truscott for being so understanding.

"Alright. You just eat that toast." Miley ran up to her room to find her cell phone. It took a few moments of searching for the small object since she'd set it down the night before in a place that she wouldn't normally. After finding it – she'd hidden it under her pillow – she called Oliver's phone, waiting patiently.

"Miley, do you know what time it is?" His voice was low and grumbly.

"It's like ten?" Miley returned, glancing at her alarm clock.

"Oh come on!" He whined loudly, "I was sleeping."

"Get up, Ollie." She rolled her eyes. "Get up and come over. Lilly and I are going to watch some movies."

"And this concerns me why?"

"We want you to watch with us." She rolled her eyes, wishing he could see.

"Can it wait half an hour? I need to shower and find my bike." He groaned, and Miley knew he was sitting up.

"Yeah, sure." Miley agreed readily. "We'll just pick some movies out. Any requests?"

"Please. No romance movies. It hurts too much," he moaned dramatically.

"Just because you can't get a girlfriend…" Miley huffed, "but fine, I guess we'll manage. See ya, Ollie."

"Wait a minute here. I can't get a girlfriend? Girls are lining up to get on the Ollie Trollie! I could get any girl I wanted!"

"Good bye, Oliver."

"Yeah, bye." He grumbled, snapping his phone shut.

Lilly used Miley's absence to cram the rest of the toast into her mouth and fill the large bowl with water. Although she couldn't enact her real prank, she could at least have some fun. When the bowl was full, she hurried out the back door and set up her trap. Giggling madly, she returned to the kitchen. She tripped on her own foot, slamming her arms into the counter to save her face. Unfortunately one of her hands knocked into the cinnamon sugar.

Miley descended from her room, expecting to find the kitchen totally messy. Leaving Lilly unattended was a mess waiting to happen. It wasn't as bad as she feared – somehow the cinnamon sugar container had exploded leaving Lilly sitting sheepishly covered in the sweet dust, as well as half the floor.

"Lilly… dare I ask what happened?"

"Seagulls attacked! I swear!" Lilly clamored, getting to her feet. Sugar went flying.

Miley bit her lower lip, looking doubtfully around. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Lilly stated confidently. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

"Well, we better clean up. Oliver's coming in about half an hour." Miley scavenged around, trying to find the broom. Once it was procured, Miley began the lengthy task of cleaning up another one of Lilly's messes.

Lilly grabbed a dishcloth, wetting it at the sink. She set to work cleaning the countertops thoroughly. Roughly twenty minutes later the kitchen looked as if the 'seagull' hadn't struck. Miley dusted her hands off, very proud of their hard work. She glanced to Lilly and smiled; Lilly was still covered with the topping.

"Lil, you got a little something." Miley snagged the rag, shaking it out over the sink and rewetting it. She moved closer to the blonde, so their faces were a few inches apart and started gently wiping away the debris. Miley's eyes were watching her actions, making sure to get all the mess up.

Lilly's eyes, though, were fastened on Miley's. She hadn't seen Miley this close up before and hadn't really been able to study the light dusting of freckles over Miley's nose and cheeks. A cold shiver chased down her spine. _That,_ she thought with growing delight, _is mine. All mine._

As she worked, Miley unconsciously moved forward steadily. Soon they were almost nose to nose and Lilly was having trouble breathing.

"Miley…" Lilly murmured breathily. Her eyes slid shut and she started closing the distance.

Unfortunately, Oliver chose that moment to make his entrance. He plowed through the front door, letting his bicycle clatter to the ground just outside. Lilly sprang backwards, knocking a bowl of fruit off the counter. It fell to the ground and shattered.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry!" She bemoaned her clumsiness.

"It's nothing, Lil. Why don't you pop in a movie? I'll clean this up and get the popcorn ready."

Feeling terrible, Lilly stumbled into the living room, shooting Oliver a dirty look. He gazed back obliviously.

"Smooth going, Truscott." He laughed at her.

"Shut up, Oken." She shot back, "Sit down."

"And here I thought I was wanted." He chuckled, settling down on the massive green monster of a couch.


	10. Lull

**Thusly the plot thickens. Again, I really want to thank the people who review for me. It really means a lot and I do take into account what's said. And I appreciate suggestions -- I tried to work in one with this chapter and it ended up making the chapter smoother. So feel free to suggest, totally. I'll use whatever I can. Just remember that most of this has been written long before it's posted. If it's not something that affects my plot line, I'll use it.**

**I'm going to consider this chapter and the previous one the eye of the storm, if you will. The next chapter depresses me. Is two chapters a day too much? I can't help myself. I guess it's like Christmas for me. Here, I bequeath** **unto you the next chapter.**

---

_Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm. _- Malayan Proverb

---

Miley watched from near the microwave and she had to smile. It was humorous to watch Lilly try to cover up her embarrassment. When the popcorn was done, she dumped the contents of the bag into a large bowl and trotted over to the couch. She settled down between her two friends. Lilly was still trying to glare daggers at Oliver, but her features softened when Miley was next to her.

"So what are we watching first?" Miley asked, grabbing a fistful of popcorn.

"I put the first Saw movie in." Lilly chuckled, glancing at Oliver. Oliver's face had paled considerably.

"I take it back, Miles, romantic movie is totally fine."

Miley glanced to Lilly, who was still grinning. "Lil, come on… You know he doesn't like the blood."

Lilly's grin faded. Miley reached over, squeezing Lilly's hand gently, "Let's just watch a comedy for now. Middle ground. Everybody agree?"

Oliver nodded and Lilly shrugged, relenting. Miley got up and ejected the disc from the DVD player. After it was tucked back in its case, Miley searched through the many slim cases under the player.

Meanwhile Lilly had gone back to teasing Oliver, though her embarrassment faded. She stuck her tongue out and tilted her nose in the air. He retorted by waggling his fingers by his ears. She reached over to punch his shoulder when Miley returned to her seat. Lilly quickly withdrew.

As the movie played, Lilly slowly worked her hand from in her lap ever-so-slowly over to Miley's lap. She covertly laced their fingers together, stealing peeks at Miley from the corner of her eye. Miley's smile greeted her every time. She eventually forgot Oliver was even there with them and decided it might be okay to try and sneak in a little kiss.

She scooted her body a little closer on the couch, eyes trained on the television. When she couldn't possibly get any closer without actually being on Miley's lap, she sat quite still, building up her resolve. It was funny – she knew Miley wouldn't reject her, but her nerves were jangling. Finally she finished her mission, catching the side of Miley's mouth in a nervous kiss. That was when she spotted Oliver. And when Oliver spotted her.

"Finally!" He yelled, interrupting the movie. "I mean, you two have been dancing around for years!"

Lilly blushed, "It so hasn't been years, doughnut."

Miley squeezed her hand, "We know you're okay with this, right?"

He shrugged, "Well, yeah, duh. Just make sure you leave some time for me, okay?"

Miley smiled at him, "We will."

Oliver turned his attention back to the television. If he'd had a problem with his two best friends dating, he would have mentioned much earlier, before Miley had spent the effort confessing. To him, as long as they were happy, he was happy. He just wished that he could get a girlfriend. His two female best friends found girlfriends – albeit it was each other – and he was still single. It was some cosmic joke, he decided.

If there was any tension in the room between Lilly and Oliver, it had completely dissipated. Lilly was feeling much better now that she was two for two in the realms of coming out. So that was two down, two to go. Her happy mood plummeted slightly; it was going to be hard telling her dad and brother. She was a daddy's girl, she'd easily admit that. And Will had taught her everything from how to tie her shoes to how to skateboard.

Her mind stayed occupied even as the credits rolled and Miley shook her gently, "Lil, you okay?"

Lilly blinked owlishly. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

"Are you coming?" Oliver asked, standing by the back door. Obviously Miley and he had made some plans while she was spacing out.

"Yeah… where are we going again?" Lilly got up, following her two friends as they headed outside.

Miley laughed quietly, "Where were you? We're going down to Rico's for ice cream."

Lilly shrugged, indifferent. "I was there. Watching… um, what were we watching?"

"Bruce Almighty." Oliver supplied.

"Right. Bruce Almighty." Lilly responded.

Miley linked arms with her, "Lils, hon, we were watching The Mask."

Oliver guffawed loudly, "I can't believe you fell for that!"

"And I can't believe you'll never have children." Lilly threatened.

"What?" Oliver narrowed his eyebrows, confused, "When did that happen?"

"It hasn't, but it might." Lilly pulled her leg back threateningly. That effectively cut off Oliver's laughs.

"Not funny." Oliver grumbled.

"Are you two done?" Miley asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah." Lilly started walking quickly, pulling Miley along for the ride. Miley fell into pace beside her and Oliver had to run to catch up.

Down at Rico's, Jackson was fiddling with the hotdog maker. It was under-cooking the sausages and his customers were not happy. Almost all of them were demanding their money back and he really didn't want Rico to find out. Unfortunately, the cooker went haywire, spewing sparks, forcing Jackson to admit defeat. He went to the cash register and popped it open.

As Jackson started refunding the money, the dark-haired boy who reigned over Jackson suddenly popped up at the counter, eyes narrowed.

"I don't think I authorized this, Jackson." He stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, Rico, it's not my fault. Fix the darn machine and I won't have to do it."

Rico glanced at the dangerous electric equipment. "Sabotage! Somebody is trying to wreck my sales. Jackson, I think I need to start interrogating my employees. I need to find the spy."

Jackson stared at him, wondering if Rico actually heard the words he was saying. "Um, boss, I'm your only employee."

"Then you must be the spy." Rico pounded a fist into his open hand. "Nobody wrongs Rico and gets away with it. Jackson! You're fired!"

"Rico! Come on! It's just broken. Call a handy-man, use the warranty to get a new one! You don't need to fire me, come on…" Jackson begged, "I need this job. Without it, I don't have money. Without money, I don't have dates!"

Rico considered the plea, "I'll think about it."

"Good man, Rico. You're giving the women a great gift by keeping me on."

It was at this point that Lilly hopped on a seat. Miley basically fell next to her. It was quiet for a few seconds and then Oliver ran hollering over. He was drenched and clearly upset.

"Lilly!"

Lilly looked at him innocently, "What?"

"I have one question…" Oliver raised a threatening finger, "How long have you been planning this? I didn't even see that bucket of water."

"I set it up for Jackson—" She trailed off, noticing Jackson and Rico arguing. "This morning."

Oliver shook his head, sending beads of water splattering all over. "I'm going to get you back, you know that right?"

She shrugged, "Yeah."

Miley tapped the counter, getting Jackson's attention, "Hey, Jackson, a little assistance?"

"One moment, Miles, I might not have to." Jackson eyed Rico. "So?"

Rico waved his hand noncommittally, "We'll talk later."

Jackson grimaced, turning to his customers, "What?"

"Three ice creams, please." Miley requested. "And some napkins."

Rico stared at her, "One per customer, thanks."

"Come on, Rico. You see the wet boy, don't you?"

"So he can buy a towel." Rico suggested, "Or just buy my napkins."

Jackson glared at his mini-boss and handed his sister the ice creams. The crowd around the shack had cleared off after receiving their money, so the sand was pretty deserted. Oliver claimed an empty table, dripping water everywhere. When Miley and Lilly were gone as well, Jackson leaned down on the counter, fully prepared to beg for his job.

"Come on, Rico. What's it going to take?"

Rico rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I don't know."

"I could tell you a secret." Jackson tried. He doubted Rico would give in, but it was worth the minimal effort.

"Is it good?" Rico's interested had been piqued.

"It's more than good. It's juicy." Jackson nodded, glancing regretfully over at his sister enjoying her ice cream.

"I'm listening."

Jackson ran fingers across his lips, zipping them shut, "Not until you promise my job is secure."

"Yeah, yeah, spill."

"Well." Jackson apologized once more to Miley and Lilly, but he figured that since they had already talked about telling people, it wasn't likely to be a secret for much longer. He, of course, didn't realize they were only telling family and close friends, not the world. "Miley and Lilly are dating."

Rico raised an eyebrow thoughtfully and turned his attention towards the three ice cream eaters. "Can you prove it?"

"Won't you just take my word for it?"

"I don't believe you." Rico shook his head, "You selling out your own family just doesn't fit."

Jackson glanced nervously at his sister, "Well, watch 'em for a while. They're bound to do something. Rico, this is my job we're talkin' about."

Rico sighed, "They've got two hours until I have to go. If something happens, you get to keep your job."

Jackson pumped a fist in the air. Two hours could be a long time. One of them just had to do something. He thought it was lucky that the beach had been practically abandoned after his under-cooked hot dogs.

Miley licked her ice cream, oblivious to the danger. She was sitting so that her leg barely brushed against Lilly's under the table. Passersby wouldn't see it, but she could feel it and that was enough. Oliver was already halfway through eating his cone, ice cream painted on his nose, lips, and chin. Out of the corner of his eye, he was watching Lilly – waiting for the perfect time to strike and get her back. Lilly had just lifted the cone to her mouth, not quite eating yet when he struck.

Throwing his arm past her face, he pointed to something in the distance, smashing his arm into the cone, cramming it onto her nose.

"Look! Seagull!"

Lilly pushed his arm, cone still on her nose, "Hah hah, very funny."

She got up, threatening him with a deadly gaze. It took less than a second for him to make a break for it, his chair falling backwards into the sand. She was about to give chase when Miley grabbed her wrist. Lilly yanked the cone free, ice cream sliding down her face.

"Lil, he'll be back."

"But he ruined my ice cream." Lilly pouted, staring at her messy cone, "I mean, some of that's been up my nose."

"Want me to buy you a new one?" Miley questioned. Her tone suggested minor annoyance, but that was the furthest emotion from her current mood. However awkward they were, Lilly and she were a couple. Finally. She was pretty sure nothing could ruin her mood.

Rico moved closer, pretending to be searching the sand for something. In reality, though, he was listening carefully to every word the two exchanged.

"No, thanks," Lilly shook her head, still feeling like being silly. She reached over and grabbed Miley's cone, attempting to steal it. "I'll just take yours."

"Lilly!" Miley tried to bat Lilly's hand away, "Come on! I'll get you a new one!"

Lilly stopped struggling, glancing around. Because Rico was close to the ground, she didn't see him and assumed there was nobody but Jackson around. "Come on, Miles, just this once? For your girlfriend?"

Miley gave in instantly, "That's not fair."

Lilly shrugged, happily licking her new ice cream, "All's fair in love and war."

Rico crawled away, a devilish smirk adorning his face. Now all he had to do was a little planning. He had to decide how best to extort this little secret. When Jackson saw the look on his boss's face, he felt instantly bad for doing that to Miley. But they were telling people, right?


	11. Daddy

**Can you say least favorite chapter? I can. I don't think this one'll be received too well, to say the most. I was actually kind of afraid of posting this. But fear not, this isn't the end of it. At least not the end I spoke of a short while ago. ****Side comment -- I'm using Wikipedia for Lilly's family. So if her parents really have names, I apologize. And if her brother has a name, again, sorry. Slight review response: Jackson was spying on them. It was kind of a small thing, I guess, but he started crowing when they kissed.**

**Note -- none of the opinions in this chapter are mine and I hated writing them. Thanks.**

**Sometimes the darn quotes are the hardest part of writing this. Thank goodness for Oscar.**

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_A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal. __- _Oscar Wilde

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Eventually Oliver came back; he was wearing dry clothing. He eyed Lilly suspiciously but Lilly barely noticed him. The ice cream was long since gone and she and Miley had been lounging at the table waiting.

"Truce Lilly?"

"Yeah," Lilly reached over, hand open.

"Thanks." He smiled and shook her hand, only to jerk his hand away suddenly, "Ew! What is that?"

She chuckled – his hand, and hers for that matter, was dripping with melted ice cream, "Just a surprise, that's all."

"I thought we truced!"

"We did. After I creamed you."

Oliver sighed, defeated, "Can we just go hang on the beach now?"

Miley shrugged, "Lilly and I aren't really dressed for beach-going."

"So change." Oliver rolled his eyes. Girls made things too difficult.

"No!" Lilly cried, "We can just roll our pants up or something."

Miley smiled, "If you guys want."

The rest of the afternoon went prankless. The three of them had fun splashing about in the shallow water. Despite efforts to stay dry, both Miley and Lilly got soaked through – Oliver decided it would be fun to start a splash war. What he hadn't counted on was Miley and Lilly teaming up. By the time they had stumbled from the water Oliver looked like a wet rat. His hair lay pressed up against his cheeks and plastered on his neck. Grumbling he bid the two good bye, heading home to knock the sand out of his shorts.

When he was gone, Miley walked Lilly up to Lilly's front door. Again, their parting was slightly awkward. Miley knew that giving Lilly a small kiss was dangerous if Lilly hadn't told anybody but her mom. They settled on a tight hug.

Lilly trudged inside just before dinnertime, wet but utterly cheerful. It was good to know that she, Miley, and Oliver could hang around like nothing had changed. And maybe, she thought, nothing really had. So far all that was different between her and Miley was the kissing, and the hand holding, and the brushes up against each other.

Okay, Lilly reasoned, so things had changed. But she had to admit, they were for the better.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" She hollered, standing in the doorway, dripping.

"So come inside," her mom yelled back.

"Can't! Soggy and wet!"

A towel came flying at her face; she ducked and it whapped the wall behind her. Grabbing it, she scowled at her older brother.

"Will!" She ripped after him, forgetting that she was splattering sand and water with every step. In the middle of the kitchen she realized that her father was staring at her over the rim of his book so she screeched to a halt. "What? He threw a towel at me."

"And you didn't use it?" He asked, taking in her wet clothes and hair.

Her face immediately heated up, "I just… Um… Hi Dad."

"Why don't you go change before dinner?"

"Yeah, will do." She shook a fist at Will who, at this point, was seated at his place at the table.

Dinner went well enough. Mr. Truscott talked a little about his job, the people around the office, and about clients. Will talked very little about Target, not being the talkative type. Mrs. Truscott had begun to clear away the dishes when Lilly stood up. She had been preparing for this the entire meal but just looking at her father's confused face made her knees quail.

"Dad, Will, I have something to say."

Mrs. Truscott dropped a knife to the glass top table, attracting Lilly's attention. She gave a barely perceptibly negative shake of her head before continuing over to the sink. Lilly didn't take it to heart. She knew her dad would love her, no matter what, and Will would too.

"What is it, Lil?" Mr. Truscott stared at her, wearing very little of his emotion on his sleeve.

"I…" she took another deep breath, deciding last minute that telling them the same way she told her mom was probably safe, "I'm in a relationship."

Mr. Truscott chuckled softly, "Well who is he? I'm going to have a talk with that boy."

"That's the thing, daddy, she's not a boy."

Silence descended on the table and Lilly was sure that her heart stopped for a few moments. Eventually Will looked up at her and shrugged. Lilly gazed expectantly at her father, who sat there with a blank face. He seemed almost shell shocked.

Without a word, he got up from the table and exited the room. Lilly stared at his empty seat, eyes filling with tears. What was going on here?

"Lilly, go to your room." Mrs. Truscott commanded gently. Lilly wandered aimlessly towards the destination, mind still processing. Had he… rejected her?

Mr. Truscott thought he'd done a good job with his kids. Sure, he hadn't been there all the time, since he did have to work. But he thought he and his wife had given both kids a good set of values and a working sense of morality. To have his daughter say she was abnormal… He shook his head.

Mrs. Truscott followed him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Ed, you should talk to her."

"Ellen… I can't… I love her but this is wrong!" His volume elevated. From her room, Lilly could hear every word her parents said.

"Why can't you accept her?"

"She knows right from wrong." Ed muttered, "We taught her better than this."

"This isn't wrong." Ellen countered, "It's just different. And right now your daughter needs you."

Ed stared at his wife, grinding his teeth quietly. "Alright. I'll talk to her."

"You can't yell at her, Ed. Promise you won't yell."

"I won't yell."

Lilly found her way to her bed, sitting down on the edge and staring at the opposite wall. A few seconds later her door opened and Mr. Truscott entered. He didn't look pleased.

"Lillian," he managed to keep his voice level, "I'm disappointed in you."

If her heart had stopped earlier, she was in full cardiac arrest now. "Wha… what?"

"I cannot believe that you would do something so… irresponsible without thinking. Did you even think about how this is wrong?" He questioned, not truly expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry, daddy." She murmured.

He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts more in order, but instead had to resort to repeating, "I'm just so disappointed."

Lilly felt a few tears leak free from her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly.

"Lilly, you're my little girl and I only want the best for you. And what's best for you is not dating that girl." He stated calmly.

"Really?" She didn't understand him, but he was her father, the person she respected most in her life. If he wanted to her to leave Miley, she was going to have to try. After all, he'd been there for her since the day she was born. Miley had only been in her life for the past four years or so.

"Yes. You'll see, Lil. You'll find a nice young man and you'll never know how you ever could have had such a lapse in judgment."

"Okay." She agreed. It was funny, she thought humorlessly to herself. Earlier she had been worried about Will's reaction, when it should have been her father's she was watching out for.

Ed hugged Lilly tightly, kissing the crown of her head, "That's my girl."

As she lay down to sleep that night, Lilly tried not to think about the next morning. She'd have to put her foot down, stay strong, and tell Miley that it was all a mistake, that it couldn't go on. It was hurting her heart already.

Monday mornings, on their own, were depressing. Mondays were a return to school and the end to a stress free few days. This particular Monday, however, was killing Lilly more than usual. She had ditched walking to school with Miley, which she knew was a bad idea, but she couldn't face her soon-to-be-ex girlfriend yet.

Fifteen minutes before first period, Miley approached her. Anger was evident on Miley's face, but it was shadowed by confusion.

"Lilly, where were you? I was hoping we'd walk to school together." Miley murmured. Reaching out slightly, she tried to touch Lilly's arm. Lilly jerked away as if Miley was burning metal.

"We have to talk." Lilly muttered out of the side of her mouth.

"About what? What happened? Why are you doing this?" Miley was even more confused now. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, but I did. Miley, I'm sorry I led you on, but I can't do this. Whatever it was we had… well, we don't have it anymore." Lilly tried to put an apologetic smile on her face, but it came out as a strained grimace. She walked away, leaving Miley speechless and stock still.

"Lilly…" Breathing suddenly became very difficult. She'd just been dumped by her best friend for no apparent reason and at the worst of all possible times. Now she'd have to go through the school day with a fake smile, all the while wondering what had happened.

"Hey, airhead." Rico slid up beside her, "Got a minute?"

"Not now Rico." She couldn't seem to focus.

"It's actually important," he insisted, "I know about you and Lilly but nobody else does. If you want to keep it that way—"

"There is no Lilly and me." Miley mustered quietly. She wasn't sure if this was her covering the relationship or just the dead truth at the moment.

"Look, toots, I saw you at the beach with her. I heard you two talking."

"That was nothing… Look, Rico, can we do this later?" Miley didn't care about his answer – she ran off in the direction of the girl's bathroom.

When Miley didn't show up to first period, Lilly didn't bat an eye. It was to be expected, she told herself. If she hadn't numbed herself to it already, Lilly knew she'd be in an empty stall sobbing her heart out, too. Oliver, though, was curious and nosy.

"Where's Miley?" He whispered why the teacher's back was turned.

"Don't know, don't care." She whispered back.

He narrowed his eyes, "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing."

"I'll find out the truth from Miley, y'know."

"Fine. Find her and ask. See what she says." Lilly murmured, eyes fixed on the front of the room. She wished Oliver would just drop it.

Her wish came true; he eased back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face. Something was telling him that Miley needed his help and that maybe, just maybe, something had happened between Miley and Lilly. He shook his head quickly, bouncing his hair all around. _No,_ he thought, _there's nothing wrong. I'm just looking too closely at this._

Miley did appear at her second period class, grateful that Lilly wasn't there. She spent the entire period silent, face set in a blank expression. If she smiled, it wouldn't look right, and if she frowned, her face would drown in the tears she was holding off.

"Miss Stewart, do you have an answer?" The teacher called from the front of the room, obviously trying to catch her off guard.

It worked. "No, I'm sorry."

Sensing that Miley wasn't feeling too well, the teacher nodded once. "Just don't let it happen again."

Miley wanted to melt into her seat. In her mind she kept replaying the scene from earlier. Lilly had given no indication towards why she chose to break up. There were a few reasons, as far as Miley could tell. Maybe Miley had moved too fast. Sure, it was only a few kisses and a brief touch here and there, but this was still new to Lilly. Maybe those little things weren't so little to her.

Or maybe Lilly realized that she was just trying to like Miley so that Miley would be happy. It felt logical enough – Lilly generally was concerned when Miley wasn't content, so it would make sense that she would try to help. Maybe Lilly couldn't lie to herself anymore.

Whatever the reason, Miley felt like her life had hit rock bottom. She'd been terrified of losing Lilly from the start and now that nightmare was reality.


	12. Personal Happiness

**I'm going to try to keep the updates speedy, but we've almost caught up to where I am in my writing. I might have to slow down just keep the updates regular. **

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_Mistakes are the portals of discovery._ _- _James Joyce

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The rest of the school day was a blur. Miley was vaguely aware that she switched classes, ate lunch, and went to her locker. She was vaguely aware that Lilly's eyes were constantly on her, as if trying to gauge how much damage had been done. She was vaguely aware of Oliver's growing concern. She was vaguely aware that he cornered her between periods, narrowing his eyes.

"You're going to tell me what happened."

She tried to focus on him, but found even that hard, "I… It's just… why don't you ask Lilly?"

"I tried. She said to ask you."

Miley fell silent. Actually saying it out loud would feel like she was finalizing the event, accepting that it had, in fact, happened. Oliver waited patiently, ignoring the bell ringing. He sensed that Miley needed something right now, and he hoped to provide her at least a willing ear.

"Ollie, she dumped me." She struggled to stay composed.

Suddenly it made more sense to Oliver. Why Lilly was so closed off, why Miley wasn't in first period, and why Miley was so distraught. "Did she say why?"

"No." Miley shrugged her shoulders, eyes dropping to the ground. "I just figured I was a bad girlfriend."

"That couldn't be it." Oliver shook his head slowly, trying to come up with a better reason. "Look, I'll talk to her, okay? See if I can't sort this out."

"Would you?" Miley perked up somewhat, "If you can fix this…"

"So relax. Things'll get better." Oliver promised, setting his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, we're already late to class."

She managed to give him a small smile, "Thanks Oliver."

"What're friends for?" He puffed out his chest, "And besides, it's a man's job to look out for the ladies."

"Oliver…" Miley chuckled.

After school, Lilly grabbed her skateboard, fully intent on leaving without as much as a good bye to Oliver or Miley. Her plans were derailed, though, when Oliver grabbed her arm and jerked her off her skateboard.

"Why would you do that?" He demanded quietly, letting go of her arm.

"Do what?" She pretended not to know, though she knew instantly what he was talking about. And frankly, she really didn't want to talk about it.

"Break up with Miley." Oliver was careful to stage this confrontation where nobody was around to hear it.

"I just don't want to date her." She muttered, not making eye contact.

"You're lying." Oliver pressed again, "Why?"

"You have to promise to keep your big mouth shut, got it?" She glared at him.

"Yeah." He nodded, already starting to plan ways around that promise.

"I just wanted to." Lilly turned to go.

"Lilly, listen to me! Unless you have a really good reason, you're killing one of your best friends!" Oliver tried again, "Did you see her today? She looked like a zombie, and not one from Zombie High, the ones that look really real, and there was no Jake Ryan to keep her from the bathroom stall…"

Lilly stared at him as if he'd grown three heads, "Oliver, I don't know what you're talking about. She looked fine to me."

"I don't believe that for a second."

Face unreadable, Lilly stared him down. Her façade faded, though, "It hurts me, too."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"You wouldn't understand." Lilly persisted on keeping her reason unspoken.

"Try me." His previous concern for Miley was slightly overshadowed now by a concern for Lilly.

"It's my dad." Lilly murmured at last. "He wasn't as cool about this as my mom was."

"You hurt Miley this badly over something your dad said?" Oliver was amazed.

"I knew you wouldn't understand." Lilly shook her head sadly, "I love my dad. I can't stand the thought of him being disgusted with me."

"Lilly, I'm going to tell you now what I learned from Seventeen magazine. You can't let your friends, or in this case, your family, make your choices for you. You're happiness is dependent on what you want. You can't spend your life trying to make other people happy."

Lilly considered it. "Wow, Oliver, those magazines are really doing you some good."

"I know. It'll help when I get a girlfriend." He stated proudly. And besides, some of those articles were really interesting.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't want to hurt Miley, but I don't want my dad upset, either." Lilly felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Follow your heart." Oliver reasoned, "Do you like Miley?"

"Yeah," Lilly answered. It was at that moment that she truly felt bad for doing this. Instead of feeling incessantly depressed, though, she felt mildly angry. Her father shouldn't want her to be unhappy. "I need to fix this."

"I wouldn't talk to Miley just yet." Ollie cautioned, "She's still upset and all. Give her a little while to get herself in order."

"Thanks for the help, Oliver." Lilly bear-hugged him. "Thanks for stopping me from making the biggest mistake in my life."

"Um, you already made it."

The hug turned into a shove.

"And you just ruined the moment."

"So what's next?"

"Talking to Dad." Lilly took her helmet off and picked up her skateboard. "Can you tell me when Miley's ready to talk?"

Oliver smiled, grateful he was able to get things at least back on the road to recovery, "Yeah."

Lilly hurried home and up into her room. Her mom watched her from the family room, frowning. Mrs. Truscott was frustrated with her husband to say the least and she could see how it was affecting her daughter. Something had to be done.

Plopping on her bed, Lilly pulled out her homework. As she worked, she started sorting through the thoughts in her head. When her dad returned home from work, she'd be ready. Talking with Oliver had awoken her sense of self-pride and she had a few choice things to tell her dad. Soon enough she heard his car pull into the garage. She shut her history book and padded down to the kitchen, waiting for the connecting door to open. When it did, she had crossed her arms and had a breath of air ready.

"Dad, we need to talk."

He entered the room, setting his briefcase on the kitchen table while he shut and locked the door. "Can it wait, sweetie?"

"No." She blocked him as he tried to leave the room.

"I'd really like to change into something more comfortable. I'm sure it can wait."

Still she refused to move, "You're going to listen to me. Right now."

Seeing the determination in her face, he gave up, "Alright."

She pointed to a chair, "Please, sit."

Mrs. Truscott heard the commotion and moved to stand near them, but out of sight. She wanted to hear what Lilly had to say as well.

"Dad, listening to you nearly and quite possibly destroyed a wonderful relationship." Lilly wished she'd written this down. She'd rehearsed it in her mind so many times since starting her homework, but there was nothing quite like actually delivering the speech. "I know you don't like it, but I am… well, I was in a relationship with Miley. And because I thought you wanted the best for me, I foolishly listened to you. I broke up with her because I truly thought you wanted me happy."

"Lilly, I do want you happy." He interjected.

"Please, Dad, listen to me. I was happy with her. The happiest I've been in a while and I can't believe you'd try and hurt me like that. I've felt like crap all day today because of you. And Miley's felt even worse." Lilly accused, "So you've either got to learn to accept me, girlfriend and all, or…"

Her train of thought petered off. Or what?

"Ed, listen to her." Ellen entered the conversation, "She's still your daughter. And she's done nothing wrong."

Ed glanced between the two women in his life. On the one hand, he still didn't want Lilly doing immoral things, but on the other, Ellen did raise a good point. Lilly was his little girl and he didn't want to lose her.

"I'm not saying I like it, or even approve of it… but if it makes you happy." He stated.

Lilly broke into a wild grin, "I love you, Daddy." She flung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

As Lilly scampered from the room, Ellen went to her husband, rubbing his back gently. "You did the right thing."

"I hope so." He barely responded.

Miley sat on the steps in her closet, thinking. Her closet was one of the few places she knew she wouldn't be bothered. If she was in there the only people who would find her were those closest to her… and Lilly

She couldn't lose Lilly after only one day of dating. Lilly just had to give her a chance to prove herself as a good girlfriend. One day wasn't enough. She stared around the room, planning. What she needed was somewhere that Lilly wouldn't feel pressured or anxious; somewhere they could talk without being overheard. A quick phone call to Traci had it set up. Now all she needed was Oliver.

Stretching her legs, she trotted downstairs. She made a pit stop in the kitchen, snagging an apple. Before she could get out of the house, though, she was stopped by Jackson, who looked awfully worried.

"Hey, Miles… How was school?"

"Do you remember how Uncle Earl smelled just before his weekly bath?" Miley asked.

"That bad, huh?" He blocked the door, keeping her inside. "Anything interesting happen?"

"I guess. Lilly dumped me." She muttered.

"Don't tell me Rico abused the secret." Jackson moaned.

"Jackson… what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." He gulped loudly. His previous statement wasn't supposed to be spoken. He really had to watch what he was thinking when his lips were feeling loose.

"Do you want me to get Daddy?"

"Ok, ok! So I might have let is slip, possibly, that you and Lilly were in a relationship. It was an honest mistake, could have happened to anyone, I swear."

"So that's what he was talking about this morning. Look, Jackson, I don't like that you mentioned it before Lilly and I were ready to tell people, but I don't think that's why she got upset." Miley reasoned. "I mean, he hasn't told anybody, yet. So Lilly wouldn't know that someone knew."

"Um, sure?" Jackson was having trouble following the logic.

"Look, I've got to go. Don't think I'm letting you off the hook, Jerkson." She pointed a finger and jabbed him in the chest.

"But I thought you were going to tell people…"

"Yeah, our families! Not the entire school." Miley walked past him, "But Jackson, don't feel too bad. I don't hate you completely."

His house was further than Lilly's but it wasn't far enough to be a nuisance. She just hoped he was home. Luck was with her – she knocked three times on the door and it swung open revealing Oliver with a phone pressed to his ear. He promptly hung up when he saw her.

"Miley! I was just calling your house. I think you'll be happy."

"I already am. I'm getting Lilly back whether she wants it or not." Miley stated and then paused. There was something off about that statement, "Well, if she doesn't want it, I'll convince her."

"She's actually trying to make it up to you now." Oliver put in, gesturing that Miley should step into the house. She did so with a small smile.

"Did she really say that?"

"I promised her I wouldn't give you any details, but yeah. She feels bad about the whole thing."

"You've got to help me, Ollie." Miley grabbed his arm, face dead serious. "I'm going to avoid her tomorrow at school. It's your job to make sure she doesn't talk to me and then later, bring her to a party. I'll give you directions."

"Is, uh, Mike Standley the Third invited to this party?" Oliver massaged his chin, "Although I'll need to shave myself a goatee."

"Ew, too much info there, pal." Miley shuddered, "But yes. You get her there and you can stay."

"Oh yeah! Celebrity party!" He stopped mid-cheer. "This will be a celebrity party, right?"

"Yes."

The cheer continued, "Then Mike is going to have to look is best if he wants to pick up celeb hotties."

Miley chuckled, "If you say so Mike."

Oliver ran a hand through his hair, "Can I get you something to drink? Eat?"

"I would kill for a water."

"Violence is never the answer," Oliver joked as he headed for the kitchen and grabbed a glass.

Miley accepted the water gratefully, "Are you sure you can't tell me what has Lilly so worked up?"

"A promise is a promise." Responded Oliver rather reluctantly. "Don't be mad at her, though. It wasn't the best reason, but I understood where she was coming from."

"Was it something I did? Something I said?"

"No… not really. She did ask that you two make out in front of me while I'm video taping, though."

"Oliver."

"What? It was a joke."

"Uh-huh." Miley drank a few sips down quietly, "Thanks for being there for us, Oliver. I know it's not easy."

"I consider this life training. Someday I too shall have a moody woman. And when that day comes, I'll be prepared."

"Oliver."

"What? It was a joke!"


	13. Finally

**So this was supposed to have come out yesterday -- many apologies for the delay. But it's here now. And I feel the title of this chapter wraps up how I feel about this story. The next chapter in might be a little late -- Life just got ten times more confusing than before. For someone who writes romance stories, I really have no idea how to get someone's attention.**

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_Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth._ - Oscar Wilde

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At school the next day Miley kept her distance, only meeting Lilly's eyes when it was absolutely necessary. Her behavior was urged by two things, as far as she could tell. A small part of her wanted Lilly to understand how Miley had felt just the day before – sad, confused, and a little lonely. The other thing was that she wanted her surprise to be perfect, and making up with Lilly before the party would ruin it.

She cast a single thought towards how far she'd come in a week. It was exactly a week ago that she was so unsure about confessing to Lilly. Now she had never been so sure of anything in her life. She was going to win Lilly back no matter what.

Around fifth period, Rico pulled her aside, "I don't know what you're trying to pull. But I know something's going on. So either you do what I say or I tell the school about your little fling."

"There was no little fling, Rico." Miley insisted. And this, she felt, was the truth. It wasn't a fling. It was a deep relationship that didn't have time to flourish.

Rico's gaze, which had started as fairly affable, hardened. "You have until Thursday to decide. Do me a few favors or have the school all up in your business."

Miley pushed him away, "Move, half-pint."

While he scowled darkly she moved down the hall, eager to get to class and away from him. It was unsettling that he could threaten her like that. At the moment there was nothing she could do. She knew that Lilly hadn't even wanted to tell her family at first, so having an open relationship was completely out of the question.

If Lilly came back, this was something they'd have to talk about. It would be a hard decision; doing things for Rico was bound to be annoying and frustrating, but having their relationship made public could be just as bad.

Miley cleared her mind of these thoughts, determined not to worry until the party that evening. She set a vaguely happy smile on her lips, though her heart wouldn't truly feel happy until Lilly was back, and finished her school day.

Lilly was going nuts – Oliver had said Miley wasn't ready and that was painfully obvious as the day continued and Miley avoided looking at her, standing near her, talking to her, everything. She tried to stay calm, though, rational. Miley had every right to blow her off after what had happened the day before.

"Why am I such a screw up…" Her face was plastered on a desk, waiting for the last bell that let school out. She had spoken under her breath but it was loud enough for Oliver to perk up.

"What?" He leaned in closer, cupping a hand around his ear.

"Nothing." She barely moved as he drew closer still. "Back off, Oliver."

"Somebody's not feeling peppy today." He knew he was being inconsiderate but he knew that in the long run it wouldn't matter. By the end of the evening Lilly and Miley would be back together, he was almost positive.

The bell rang, interrupting their conversation. Peeling her face off the desktop, Lilly wandered listlessly down the hall. Oliver kept pace with her, making sure she didn't run into any trashcans or poles. As a listless wanderer Lilly seemed to have incredibly bad vision.

"Why can't you let me sulk?" she groaned as Oliver jerked her aside before she toppled into a janitor's cart. "Or better yet help me think up a way to get Miley back…"

Oliver nearly cackled. Things were working perfectly, "Listen, Miley's going to a party tonight. I think you should go and surprise her there. I can give you a ride and everything. You just need to look nice, maybe buy her some flowers, or something."

Lilly was immediately suspicious, "What's this about? Why do you know about the party?"

Covering quickly, Oliver tried his best to lie convincingly, "Uh, she was really depressed yesterday so I told her that the best way to get happy is to be around other happy people… So I told her to go to a party… In hopes that she'd cheer up."

"I won't go…" Lilly muttered, "She's going there to get happy and I don't make her happy."

"Are you stupid?" Oliver asked quite seriously.

"No." Lilly shot back. This conversation was turning offensive.

"Are you blind?"

"No?" From offensive to confusing in under ten seconds – Lilly was sure that was a record.

"Miley loves you, Lil. If you're there, she's happy. You just have to show up, smile, get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."

Lilly sighed, "You make it sound so easy."

"That sounds easy?" Oliver wondered aloud.

"Thanks for confidence booster." She muttered sarcastically.

"No problem, Lillster." They were at Lilly's locker when they parted ways, "I'll pick you up at six, okay?"

"Fine." She gave in. That would give her enough time to prepare. Her first stop was home to dig through her closet and find something suitable to wear. She would be going as Lola, so she'd need a nice pair of blue jeans and a blouse of some sort. The jeans were the easy part, but finding the perfect top took some time.

To complete her ensemble she selected her classic light purple wig, hoping the memories associated with it would help her in winning Miley back. Laying her outfit out on her bed, she turned her attention to her empty wallet – that was a problem.

"Mom!" She hunted around the house for her mom, finally finding the older woman out in the garage. "Mom?"

Mrs. Truscott looked up; she was crouched in front of the lawnmower and her hands were exceedingly dirty, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow a little money…"

"What for? Your father and I already told you you're not getting a new skateboard until you snap that old one of yours in two."

Lilly kicked the ground, blushing slightly, "I wanted to get some flowers for Miley."

"She forgave you?" Ellen got to her feet, wiping her hands on a nearby rag.

"Not yet. But that's why I'm getting flowers." Lilly explained, "But I don't have money right now. I'll pay you back some day, I swear."

"Don't worry about it. We'll just take it from your dad's allowance. After all, it's because of him this happened." Ellen gave Lilly a small smile. "Might as well buy her a little teddy bear while you're at it."

Lilly's face lit up, "That's genius! I'll buy a girl bear, to go with Beary. Her name could be Sherry!"

Ellen held out a few bills, "Here's thirty. I'd say get her roses."

"Red or yellow?"

"Red, definitely." Ellen shooed her daughter away, "Go on, then. I've got to fix this lawnmower."

Lilly pocketed the money and set out for downtown Malibu. The first toy store she went into was fairly packed with little grubby children and distracted parents. Lilly had to smile, though she did pause to wonder how many of those little fingers had been up little noses. She grimaced as a boy reached out and picked up a teddy bear and subsequently sneezed.

Edging her way to the back of the store, Lilly came upon a rack of bears well above the reach of grabby kids. There were plenty to choose from so Lilly glanced along the shelf, waiting for one to grab her attention. Hidden away in the midst of pushy boy bears sat a petite stuffed animal dressed in a flowery pink dress.

Standing on her tip-toes Lilly was barely able to grab it. Again it was a fight not to step on little children as she made her way to the cashier. Eight dollars later she was back on the street, hoping dearly she didn't catch a cold or the flu or whatever ran amok with the little ones.

As she walked down the sidewalk she spotted Miley and Oliver chatting outside Baskin Robbins. Careful to stay hidden, Lilly crept closer, catching only the tail end of the conversation.

"You're a good man, Ollie." Miley was all smiles.

"Thanks, Miley. I try." He gazed at her, "I hope Lilly won't be upset when she finds out."

"She won't find out." Miley replied. She stepped forward hugging Oliver tightly. "See you at six-thirty."

With a peck on Oliver's cheek she left and Oliver walked away in the opposite direction, not noticing Lilly's stunned face. He was deep in his own thoughts and wasn't expecting Lilly to be nearby. As he walked past, Lilly watched, jaw gaping.

What was going on? Her mind raced. Was this Miley's revenge? Hooking up with Oliver? Would Oliver really backstab her like that? Rage bubbled through her, seeping through her veins and lighting her on fire. Fear tossed a bucket of frigid water on the rage, though. Could it be possible? Were they together? Was she too late?

"Get a grip, Truscott." She took a few deep breathes, "Don't jump to conclusions. I'm sure there's nothing wrong. It was just… them hugging."

Hurrying on her way, she found her way to a flower shop and purchased a dozen red roses. Making a split second decision she also bought a small heart shaped balloon. It was cheap due to the season being so far from Valentine's Day.

Lilly held her purchases tightly to her chest. She wasn't going to lose Miley to Oliver. When she got home it was going on five-thirty. Just enough time to get dressed and make sure her makeup looked perfect.

Oliver rang the doorbell, rubbing his beard anxiously. It felt so strange and he was positive it was painfully obvious that it was fake. There was no time to worry about it extensively, though; Lilly opened the door looking very solemn.

"Mike."

"Lola."

Lilly barely cracked a smile, "Let's go."

Oliver pointed back at where his mom was parked, "My mom can pick us up afterwards, if you want."

"We'll see." Lilly murmured. If the evening went well, she'd have a different way home.

They piled into the car, Lilly trying to make sure none of the roses popped off their stems. The bear was nestled under her arm and the balloon was propped in the center of the flowers.

"Hello, Lilly." Oliver's mom greeted from the driver's seat. "That's quite the array of gifts."

"Yeah, I guess." Lilly smiled shyly at Mrs. Oken, slightly embarrassed. Mrs. Oken had been like her second mother since preschool.

"Who are they for?"

Lilly blushed and Oliver answered for her, "Miley."

Mrs. Truscott grinned knowingly, "Good luck, hon."

Miley, or rather Hannah, sat on the balcony of Traci's house thinking quietly. Behind her the party was already raging and every so often someone would poke their head out and try to talk to her. She ignored all of them.

"Hannah?" Lilly called quietly, dragging Oliver out onto the balcony with her.

Miley turned around, recognizing that voice, "Lola, Mike."

"I don't know what's going on between you two, but I'm not going to let Mike take you." Lilly said quickly, thrusting the flowers into Miley's arms.

Miley sniffed them, heart lightening. Lilly still wanted her. "There's nothing between Mike and me."

"But I saw you talking! You kissed his cheek!"

"I was thanking him for bringing you here." Miley explained slowly.

"But… but…"

"She was worried you'd be angry that she ignored you so that she could get you here and not mess up her surprise." Oliver tried to explain.

Lilly processed silently for a few moments. "So there's nothing going on?"

"No. Now sit." Miley pointed to the empty seat beside her. "Mike, go have some fun."

Doing as she was bid, Lilly finally looked at the other object in Miley's lap, other than the roses. "You have your guitar?"

"Shh," Miley hushed Lilly before setting the roses aside. She pulled the lyrics out from her purse, though she knew them by heart at this point and started strumming.

Lilly listened quietly, closing her eyes and letting the sound wash over her. The tune was sweet and soothing but the words made her feel like she would never be able to sit still without Miley in her arms. Nobody had ever written something so nice and caring for her. The song faded away but it replayed in Lilly's mind. Her eyes opened to see Miley staring at her.

"Lola Lufnagle, I don't know why you didn't want to be with me, but I'm willing to do anything to get you back." Miley whispered, "I love you."

Lilly gazed, "That was for me?"

"Yes." Miley fingered the tattered paper with the words. It had started out as scrap paper, but she'd held it so often in the past few days that the edges were worn away.

Lilly got up, walking to the edge of the balcony, staring at the night sky. She was trying not to cry and failing. Miley approached, wrapping an arm around Lilly's shoulders. She held on tight, hoping these were happy tears.

"I'm sorry, Mi—Hannah…" Lilly whimpered softly. "I can't believe how stupid I was…"

"Can you tell me why?" Miley was still dying to know what had caused the upheaval.

"My dad didn't want me dating another girl… I love him and I wanted to make him happy. But I found out that I should be more worried about what makes me happy. Hannah, you make me happy." Lilly set her head on Miley's shoulder.

"I wish we were home right now. I want you to say these things to me, not Hannah." Miley chuckled quietly.

"Would you mind if I kissed you?" Lilly asked, fingering the railing in front of them.

Pulling away slightly, Miley shifted so that she was facing Lilly, "Are you crazy?"

"No."

"That's my answer, too."

Lilly didn't move, "No, I can't kiss you, or No, I can?"

"Oh, just kiss me." Miley tilted her head down. Lilly could hardly stop smiling long enough to comply.


	14. Maybe It's You

**I call my creation Mikiver. If someone thinks of a better mushup of the names, feel free to tell me. Mikiver was the best I could come up with. As far as my plans go, there's at least seven more chapters to be posted. All planned, but most not written yet. I'm still deciding if I want a happy ending or not. I'm a sucker for unhappiness. Thanks again for the reviews. I don't think I'll ever be able to say thanks enough. I read them all, truly I do.**

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_You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through. _- Rosalynn Carter

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On the first floor Oliver was having little luck with the babes. His pick up lines fell flat and he was beginning to get frustrated. Wasn't he handsome? Wasn't he debonair? Smooth? Suave? Gentlemanly? Maybe it was the beard. It was probably the beard. He snuck into a bathroom and ripped it off, wincing as it left his chin. Leaving it in the trashcan, he reemerged ready to try again. He found everybody clamoring near the front door which he found odd. Unless – he perked up – unless someone famous had arrived.

He joined the mob, trying to get a peek outside. That was when he saw her. He could have sworn his heart missed a beat. She was gorgeous: long brown hair, tinged at the tips with red, confident brown eyes, a red hat tilted jauntily on her head and impeccable clothing. And when she walked, she strolled with implacable confidence.

"I heard there was a party for Hannah and I could not resist putting in an appearance." Mikayla sighed, flipping her hair with an idle hand. "What kind of celebrity friend would I be if I didn't?"

The press behind her took a few still shots of her as she stood in the doorway. She flaunted herself, enjoying the attention. Flashes fluttered, though Oliver could have sworn one camera was pointed way too high to have been aimed at Mikayla.

Oliver still remembered how Mikayla tried to hurt Hannah's career, but it was hard to keep it in mind when he was seeing her in person. He could hardly keep the drool from drizzling down his chin. At first it was difficult to get within ten feet of the girl since she was literally covered in fans, but soon the crowd thinned, mostly due to Mikayla's poor attitude. Oliver took his chance, sidling up to her.

"Hey, Mikayla. Can I call you Mikayla?" He flashed her what he considered a dashing smile. She was even more beautiful up close.

"Um, no?" She settled her hands on her hips, head tilted ever so slightly in disbelief.

"Can I call you beautiful?" He tried again, trying to maintain his smile. It was hard, though; his cheeks were starting to ache.

"I'm not going to stop you," she looked away, glancing through the crowds of people, "I don't suppose you know where Hannah is?"

"She's outside with… nobody. Just somebody. Nothing's going on." Oliver fumbled.

Mikayla smirked. "What did you say your name was?"

"Mike. Mike Standley. The third." Oliver pieced it together, wishing he didn't sound like such an idiot.

"Well, thank you, Mike." She didn't look back at him as she walked away.

"Call me!" He hollered at her receding form. He smiled proudly -- that went well. As she disappeared it dawned on him -- he hadn't given her his number. He kicked the ground.

Upstairs, Miley and Lilly had returned to snuggling against each other, staring up at the stars. Miley was reminded of the previous Saturday, their first night as a couple. Unconsciously she began rubbing Lilly's arm, enjoying just their simple proximity.

"Hannah, there you are. I've been looking for you." Mikayla stepped out into the evening air. She eyed Lola with distaste, "And this is…"

Miley dropped her arm away, "Lola Lufnagle—"

Lola stepped in, "Daughter of oil tycoon Rich Lufnagle."

"Lola." Miley warned quietly. Mikayla was dangerous, or at least Miley thought she was, "What do you want, Mikayla?"

"I was hoping that I could interest you in a sing-off."

Miley almost laughed. "You want a repeat performance of Florida? I could take you any day."

"Hannah, be careful." Lilly warned, "This could be an evil plan."

"Will you do it?"

Miley glanced to Lilly. Maybe Lilly was right. But before Miley could respond, her phone went off – Oliver thought that it might be a good idea to warn her that Mikayla was coming.

"Hannah, watch out, Mikayla's on her way up."

"Little late there, Mike." Hannah hissed.

"Well?" Mikayla pressed. "If I win you have to admit on national television that I'm better than you."

Miley handed the phone off to Lilly, "And if I win… you have to go on one date with my good friend Mike Standley."

It was a brash decision, but it was either Oliver or Jackson, and using Jackson would make it too easy to trace Hannah back to Miley. She just hoped Oliver wouldn't mind when he got landed with the date from hell. Lilly whispered good bye to Oliver before snapping the cell phone shut.

"Not a problem. I won't lose." Mikayla stated confidently, tossing her head to the other side.

"Uh-huh. When and where?" If Miley had a tail it would have been swishing behind her, quite like a cat's before it strikes.

"I was thinking here. At this party. I even brought the press." Mikayla jerked her thumb at the party.

"You're on."

Lilly grabbed Miley's arm, trying to get Miley's attention, "Hannah, don't do it! She's had all day to warm up since she knew this was coming! You haven't warmed up, you haven't picked a song; it's stacked against you!"

"All the more embarrassing for her when she loses." Miley squared her shoulders, "I'll be downstairs in ten minutes. Be ready."

With a toss of her hair, Mikayla was gone. Lilly gazed at Miley, deeply worried. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Miley's voice and performance, but rather that Mikayla was probably going to play dirty. It was a low blow to spring a competition on Miley out of the blue.

"Hannah, please. You can still back out of this." Lilly begged.

"You don't think I can beat her?" Miley asked.

"It's not that at all," Lilly struggled to find the right words, "You're the best singer ever but she'll have the perfect song picked out and well practiced. You'll pick a good song, sure, but you're not prepared."

"Lola, just trust me, okay?" Miley gave Lilly a quick, reassuring hug. "And besides, I'm a big girl. I know how to lose gracefully if I have to."

"Hannah, we are not going to soap her limo."

"Aw, come on!" Miley joked, turning her attention to her guitar, "I know my song was supposed to be just for you and I understand if you don't want me to, but I was hoping I could use it to win the sing-off…"

Lilly blushed, "You'd want to use it?"

"Of course!" Miley smiled.

"Go ahead," Lilly was practically glowing. Miley wanted to use a love song written for her to beat Mikayla's stupid game. "And since nobody's heard it before, it's got even more umph behind it!"

"And because it means so much to me, it'll be great."

"You did sound good when you sang it before," Lilly agreed. She sighed wistfully; it was nice to have a musician as a girlfriend.

"But you'll have to stand somewhere I can see you while I'm singing," Miley instructed. "It won't work unless I see you."

Lilly beamed, "I'll stand against the wall, center. That way you can look around and always find me."

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't watch you the whole time."

Lilly nodded. "This is a performance competition, which means you'll have to connect to the audience, not just me."

Miley didn't voice her other reason. She wasn't sure she was ready to explain to all those people why she was delivering her love song to Lola. "We better get in there."

Inside the guests had gathered around a makeshift stage. Mikayla was on stage, looking impatient. She smiled when Miley approached, fully prepared to put on the usual act –

"Oh, Hannah! I'm so glad you agreed to this friendly display. It's such an honor to sing next to you!"

"Oh you!" Miley smiled back but the side of her lips twitched. "How are we going to judge this?"

"Loudest applause? We need an impartial judge." Both girls gazed around the room, eyes settling on the security guy standing by the door.

Miley beckoned to him, "Come on."

He came to stand by the stage, nervously glancing at the two girls. On one hand he wouldn't get fired over this, on the other hand there was probably going to be a very upset pop princess angry with him over his decision.

"I'll go first, okay?" Mikayla twisted the microphone back and forth.

"Sure, okay." Miley backed off the stage, giving Mikayla the spotlight.

The song Mikayla sang was one of her normal songs and she delivered it well, owning the stage and the audience. She received generous clapping, a few whistles, and several cat-calls.

Miley accepted the mike as Mikayla brushed past her, already confident of the win. Wiping her hands on her jeans, Miley looked through the crowd, spotting Lilly. She smiled shyly and settled the microphone into the holster. For this song she wanted to play her own music, since nobody else would know how.

At first, the audience didn't respond. They seemed to be in shock – this was a song they'd never heard before. It didn't take long for them to start cheering, appreciating that they were hearing a song that nobody else had. They stayed fairly quiet, though, since the song was slower paced and quieter.

When the song was done, the crowd erupted. The security guard didn't even have to judge – the applause for Hannah was clearly much louder than that for Mikayla. Miley gripped the guitar tightly and bowed, glad her song was so well received. As she left the stage she was bombarded with questions.

"Who was that for?"

"Will it be on your next c.d.?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Beaming brilliantly, Miley made her way to where Mikayla was fuming, extending her hand.

"Good try, Mikayla."

Mikayla refused the hand, "This isn't over, Montana."

"That's true." Miley pondered. "You still have to set up your date with Mike."

The look Mikayla shot her could have curdled milk. A click from a camera reminded the defeated diva of the circumstances and she immediately smiled again, "Of course. Where is he, anyway?"

Oliver was at their side in an instant, "Somebody mentioned me?"

Miley gestured to him, "Here."

Mikayla rolled her eyes, "We're going out tomorrow night, got it?"

Oliver's jaw dropped, "For serious!?"

"Look, kid, make this easier on me. Don't tell any of your little friends, don't tell the press."

"Where are we going?" Oliver was content to let Mikayla do the ordering. Bossy women were nothing new to his life.

"A small restaurant. I don't know where yet. I'll be in disguise. You'll be out of disguise. I'm assuming this is get-up is a poorly executed disguise. And please, don't dress like that." Mikayla shook her head, "Please."

Oliver nodded obediently, "Sure, sure. Should I give you my address?"

"Yes. Write it down and give it to my driver."

"Can't I give it to you?" Oliver asked before quailing under the glare she fixed on him. "To the driver."

"I'll pick you up at six. Be ready." Not bothering to say good bye, Mikayla left with one last toss of her long brown hair.


	15. A Pressing Matter

**Why do I have to instigate trouble? I'm such a bad person, it's true. And I was thinking, if all goes the way I have it planned on paper, those of you waiting for some "action" will have to wait until chapter twenty or so. Up until then it'll probably be fluff and teen angst. Like always. I haven't quite decided how I want to deal with Rico, yet. I have several ideas welling up inside my head, but all that's come from it is me singing ((off-key, of course)) _How do you solve a problem like Ma-Rico? _**

_---_

_Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing._ - Oscar Wilde

**---**

With Mikayla gone, Miley relaxed considerably. Lilly bounced over and gave Miley a quick hug, "You rock!"

Miley glanced around nervously, wondering if anybody had seen. "Thanks."

Noticing, Lilly narrowed her eyebrows for a moment but let it go. "Oh! Hannah, I got you one other thing."

"Lola, the roses were perfect and the balloon… You didn't need to." Miley protested lightly as Lilly dragged her back to the balcony. The stuffed bear was seated primly in the seat Lilly had used earlier.

"Here!" Lilly presented the girl bear, "Her name is Sherry. I figured Beary could use a wife."

Miley hugged the animal, beaming, "You're too thoughtful."

"I know." Lilly nodded smugly, "So are we good?"

"We're great." Miley reached over and grabbed Lilly's hand, "We're perfect."

Lilly cuddled in closer, smiling happily. Nothing could bring her down, not even thoughts of Miley's reaction to her hug earlier. That was probably just surprise or something, it's not like Miley was ashamed of her or something... right?

When Miley woke up the next morning, Sherry was tucked in her arms. Beary watched reproachfully from the pillow next to her head.

"Beary, you know this doesn't mean anything, right?" Miley asked her original bear. Beary didn't reply, "I mean, she is your wife."

Giggling, Miley set Sherry next to him and set about getting ready for school. After her shower was taken and her make up was done, she headed downstairs to grab a piece of fruit and wait for Lilly.

Robby Ray met her at the foot of the stairs, newspaper gripped tightly in his hand, "Miley, tell me this isn't what I think it is."

Miley grabbed the paper, read the headline, and nearly dropped it.

**America's Pop Princess: Lesbian?**

_Story by Erica Schober_

_The picture shown above was taken last night at an exclusive party hosted by young heiress Traci Vanhorn. Though it's dark out, it is clear that Miss Hannah Montana is in fact kissing a female friend. Sources inside said that Montana delivered a new love song during a face off with Mikayla, but did not look at anybody in particular in the crowd. As usual, Miss Montana was accompanied by her constant companion, a young woman of varying last names. This young woman is thought to be the other girl in the picture. All that is know about this other girl is that her name is Lola and according to an anonymous source, the two were very close at the party. While we await a statement from Miss Montana about this issue concerning her sexuality, it is clear that her preferences are not on the straight and narrow. The biggest question, at the moment, is how this will affect her career._

The article was accompanied by a picture of Hannah in a lip lock with Lola. By the time she was done reading, Miley's arm was shaking with anger and frustration – how dare some stupid reporter interfere with her life?

"What're you goin' to do, bud?" Robby interrupted her seething.

"I'm going to put a statement out. Denying it, of course. I can't risk my career, I just can't."

Robby gazed at her, "But Miles, what about Lilly? You should talk to her before you act."

Miley gave the paper back and snagged her breakfast, "There's nothing to talk about. It's my career, I make the calls."

Robby shook his head, wondering how this was going to pan out. He didn't dwell on it, though. Miley was old enough to make some of her own choices. He'd just be there to pick up the pieces if something went wrong.

Lilly was waiting outside, paper clutched to her chest, "Did you see it?"

Miley looked away, "Yeah, I did." Her earlier determination to deny everything faded when she saw Lilly's hopeful face.

"So you're going to come out, then?"

"N…no." Miley started walking, "I was actually going to deny it."

"You can't! You have to come out! It's only fair, Miley! You made me come out to my family." Lilly accused.

"But this is totally different! This is my career!"

"That was my life! This isn't any different! Miley, you'll survive this. I survived my dad. And besides, you have a great voice. People aren't going to stop buying your music just because you're a lesbian."

"Don't say that!" Miley hissed.

"I didn't know you were so ashamed." They approached the school and Lilly hurried off. Miley whacked an open palm on her forehead; she was such a screw-up sometimes. She ran after Lilly, hooking the crook of Lilly's elbow.

"I'm not ashamed, Lils." Miley swallowed roughly, "If it makes you happy, I'll do it."

Lilly turned, eyeing Miley. She judged Miley to be telling the truth and relented, "Thanks, Miley. I really appreciate it."

They got to first period with plenty of time to chat before the bell. Each of their classmates had already seen the paper and the room was abuzz with rumors. The most popular topic was the secret identity of Lola. For once in her life, Lilly felt mildly important.

Amber and Ashley were huddled in the corner, surprisingly the quietest of the class. Lilly drifted closer, trying to catch their conversation.

"I can't believe Hannah Montana goes that way." Ashley whispered.

"I can't believe she didn't try to hit on me." Amber replied.

"I'm glad she's coming out." Ashley continued.

"We need a celebrity to make things normal."

Lilly was almost in shock. Since when did Amber and Ashley approve of homosexual relationships?

"It's really hard hiding at school." They whispered at the same time. This time, though, they didn't tap their fingers together. It seemed inappropriate. Amber glanced up, spotting Lilly.

She growled, "What are you looking at, Truscott?"

Lilly scrambled to cover up, "Just your paper. I can't believe Hannah Montana is gay."

"Do you have a problem with it?" Amber was almost confrontational.

"Not at all. I think it's great. We need more celebrities who are proud of who they are."

Deciding that the argument was dead, Amber turned her attention back to Ashley, shooing Lilly away. While Lilly only heard the positive comments about Hannah Montana, Miley tuned in primarily to the negative comments. By the beginning of first period, she was scared. By the end of the school day, she was completely terrified.

"Lilly, I don't know if I can do it." The two girls were up in Miley's bedroom, sprawled on the bed. Miley had her eyes closed.

Determined to cheer Miley up, Lilly gently tickled Miley's sides, eliciting a high pitched squeal from the taller girl. Miley shot up right, intent on revenge. She was all smiles, though, and she forgot how upset she had gotten. Lilly leapt off the bed, running for her life with Miley right on her tail. She got as far as Hannah's closet before Miley tackled her to the ground, pinning her hands over her head.

"Got you!"

Lilly struggled. She didn't quite notice the position they were in and was intent on getting away, "You'll never take me alive!"

Miley smirked, "Really? 'Cause I think I already got you."

"Never!" Lilly started squirming around, desperate to get away, "Never!"

Abruptly changing the subject, Miley laid her head on the ground next to Lilly's. "Will you go with me?"

Lilly ceased her struggle, "Of course! What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't?"

"Oliver."

Both girls giggled nervously. Miley rolled off Lilly, blushing lightly and Lilly straightened her clothing in an attempt to hide her own flushed face.

"When are you going to make your statement?"

"I figured the sooner the better. Tonight at eight." Miley left the closet and headed back to her bed. Her good mood was quickly dissipating. "Oh, Lil, we have another problem."

Lilly threw herself down onto the bed, burying her face in the bedspread. Her words came out a little muffled, "What's that?"

"Rico."

Lilly's head shot up, "Rico?"

"He found out about us." Miley fell next to her. "He wants us to do stuff for him or else he's going to tell everyone."

Lilly shuddered. "How did he find out?"

"He heard us talking at the beach." Miley was upset with Jackson, but she didn't want Lilly angry with him, too. Best to keep that under wraps.

Outside the bedroom, Jackson was passing by. His attention was piqued at the mention of Rico. Immediately he stopped and pressed his ear to the door.

"So what are we going to do?" Lilly questioned.

"We have to do what he asks. I don't think I'm ready for everybody to know."

Lilly scooted over and hugged Miley's leg, "I guess you're right. I just hope it's not something stupid or horrible."

"Knowing Rico, it'll just be tedious and embarrassing." Miley joked weakly.

Jackson pulled away. He couldn't let Rico do this to his sister, especially since it was his fault. Something would have to be done. Running a hand through his hair, he continued on his way down the hall. Rico would have to be taught that he couldn't mess with Miley. And if it meant using brute force – Jackson cracked his knuckles, or rather tried to and instead hurt his hand – that was fine with Jackson.

At the press conference later that evening, Miley gripped the podium with sweaty palms. Lilly was waiting off to the side wearing her deep hot pink wig. She hoped Miley could do this; Lilly fully understood the pressure. If it was hard to tell her parents, it must be ten times worse to tell a judgmental public.

"Thank you for coming," Miley started, trying to smile, "I think we all know what I'm about to say."

The crowd murmured loudly and Miley had to wait for the noise to die down before she continued.

"A picture was taken of a private moment between myself and my girlfriend. I freely admit that I am in a homosexual relationship at the moment." Miley was completely cut off as the crowd of reporters burst into questions. Flashes of light nearly blinded her.

"Jan Stacker, Daily Tribune. Who is she?"

"For her privacy and my own I won't release her real name. You'll have to be content with Lola."

"Hubert Fogg, Malibu Times. Are you homosexual?"

Miley paused – she'd wondered if someone was going to ask her that. "No. So far in my life, I've only wanted to pursue one female. Lola. If we were to break up, I'm almost one hundred percent sure I would resume dating men."

The press continued collecting information and Miley answered as best she could, hoping that the truthful route was the best route to go. Eventually Lilly came over and tugged her sleeve, gesturing to her wrist. Miley understood –

"Thank you for your time, but it's getting late. I do have to get going."

"One more thing, Miss Montana!" One reporter called out. "Could we get a picture?"

"Sure, I guess." Miley turned and smiled nervously.

"No, one with you and Lola."

Miley turned to Lilly and raised an eyebrow. Lilly shrugged and walked over to stand next to Miley. No pictures flashed, though.

"Do something." Lilly hissed from the side of her mouth.

Thinking quickly, Miley draped her arms around Lilly's waist, pulling the smaller girl close to her body. Lilly reciprocated and they both smiled as best they could. The world became one bright flash of light as several cameras went off at once.


	16. Wait! She's Human?

**It feels kind of silly to call the story Unsung now, doesn't it? Can't be helped. And I apologize for Mickey's undercover name. I thought it was funny... So here -- a chapter that does nothing but give me joy. And set up the last section of the story. But let's just be more concerned with my entertainment.**

**Partial response I forgot to cover last chapter -- I do take suggestions and requests. As long as it doesn't change my plotline, I'll see if I can work it in. I also take story requests as long as you don't expect to see the story by tomorrow.**

**---**

_I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible._ - Oscar Wilde... again...

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Thursday morning found Miley snoring as her alarm clock went ignored. She slept on, exhausted from the night before. Before dropping Lilly off at home, Miley had asked the limousine driver to take them to a drop-off over looking the ocean. It was near midnight by the time they got home.

What woke Miley up was furious pounding on her door. She sat up, smacking the alarm clock, "What?"

Robby pushed the door open, "School starts in fifteen minutes, bud. You better get up and get moving."

Groaning, Miley rolled off her bed and collected fresh clothing. Her shower was brisk and rapid – she didn't have time to sit idly and think like she normally did. By the skin of her teeth she made it to first period just before the bell rang. Lilly wasn't there, which Miley had to chuckle over. She bet the blonde would skateboard in at any moment.

Her assumption was correct – less than a minute later Lilly came flying into the classroom, a stack of papers grasped in her hand, presumably the last night's homework. Miley smacked her head on the desk; she knew she was forgetting to do something.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Lilly apologized, trying to get to her seat without further mishap. She slid down in her seat while she settled in. The teacher fixed her with a withering gaze but moved on quickly.

While notes were being written on the whiteboard, Miley scribbled a furious note to Lilly and threw it onto the other desk. Lilly unfolded it –

_Hey Lil – Sorry about last night. I didn't think we'd get home so late._

Lilly smiled; Miley shouldn't apologize for that. It was rather enjoyable and she loved being around Miley. The sea had looked so beautiful in the moonlight and the crashing of the waves onto the rocks was relaxing. She wouldn't have given up going for anything.

_Miles, no worries. I stayed up late trying to do my homework. Not your fault._

Miley nodded slowly after reading the note. She tucked it into her pocket and turned her attention to the front board. A ball of paper hit her in the back of the head – she turned half way in her seat and found Oliver ginning manically at her. He jabbed his finger quickly at the ball of paper just behind her seat. Nudging it with her foot, Miley knocked it close enough to snag with her fingers.

_Miles! That was so awesome last night! Thanks!_

Miley chuckled – Oliver was such a doughnut. Only an idiot would be able to look past all of Mikayla's horribly obvious flaws. An idiot or an Oliver. She had a hard time believing that Oliver was truly interested in that date but she was happy she could set him up. Crumpling the note up again, Miley smiled. Oliver was a sweet boy. If anybody could change Mikayla, it would be him.

The bell rang, releasing the trapped students. Oliver was at Miley's side a moment before Lilly was. He was still grinning happily – though his expression paled in comparison to Lilly's. They ended up starting to talk at the same time.

"Miles, thanks so much for last night. Hey! Stop that! No! You stop that!" They began arguing, though how they managed to say the same thing for so long was a mystery to Miley.

"You two, easy there." She grabbed Lilly's hand, tugging, "We need to find Rico."

Lilly grimaced, "I guess you're right."

"But I want to tell you about last night!" Oliver complained loudly, "You're girls. You'll be able to tell me if it went well."

Miley nudged him with an elbow, "You really like her, then?"

"Well, yeah. She's a hot girl, I'm a guy. Do the math." He rolled his eyes at them. "So are you going to help?"

Lilly was sorely tempted to tease him, but held it in. "Sure."

Practically dragging Lilly away, Miley waved apologetically at Oliver, "Sorry, Ollie, not right now. We've got something to take care of."

Rico was waiting at Miley's locker, arms crossed over his small chest. He raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Well?"

"We'll do a few things for you, if it'll keep you quiet." Miley whispered.

Lilly nodded, "A few things. And nothing that'll get us into trouble, got it?"

Rico rubbed his hands together, "Great. Blondie, you get to open my locker every passing period for me. Airhead can go to my next period class and clean my seat for me. And that's just for starters."

Miley grabbed the front of his shirt, fighting with herself. It would be so easy to put a fist into his conniving little face. "What's your schedule?"

Rico pushed her hands away, "That's more like it."

"We'll start tomorrow, okay?" Lilly hoped it wouldn't start immediately. She'd need to do a little planning if she was going to work around getting his locker open and then getting her own stuff and getting to class on time.

"Tomorrow morning. Don't be late, or sick." He tilted his head at the two before strolling to his next class.

Lilly hit a nearby locker with her fist and immediately winced, "Man! They show people doing this in movies, but it's stupid! Note to self! Don't punch lockers!"

Miley rubbed Lilly's sore hand, deep in thought, "I wish we didn't have to pander to his wishes."

"We could always come out." Lilly whispered, barely audible.

"That's a big step, Lil. I mean, we both had to struggle with it with other places. Let's just keep it out of our school life, okay?"

Lilly sighed but didn't push it. She wasn't gung-ho about coming out in high school, but it was better than being blackmailed. As they walked to the next period, Lilly ran her finger along the lockers, enjoying the small thunking noise as she changed from locker to locker.

Lilly left Miley at the door of her second period, hating that they had even one period apart. Miley hurried off, trying her hardest not to be late to class. The beginning of second period meant the morning announcements – Teachers were required to keep their classes quiet for them, though few bothered enforcing it. While Miley's teacher maintained the peace, Lilly's could care less.

Miley listened with half an ear, doodling on a folder with her pen. She drew little hearts and smiled bashfully. The announcements did catch her attention, though, at the first mention of a dance.

"Next Wednesday is the Masquerade Dance. Buy your tickets during your lunch period. Ten dollars a ticket. Masks will be worn during the entirety of the dance. Please remember that the winter break begins on Thursday, so please pay off library fines…"

Miley zoned out, thinking. Would she be able to go with Lilly to the dance? It seemed like it would be easy enough – one of them would just have to go in drag. Nobody would know the difference. It remained on her mind until school was let out. She pulled Lilly aside before Oliver showed up.

"Lilly, did you hear the announcements this morning?"

Lilly shook her head, "Not at all. Never do."

"There's a dance coming." Lilly's eyes lit up. "I was thinking about how we could go together. I'll go in a tuxedo."

"Oh, Miles, I didn't know you went for dressing in drag!" Lilly teased quietly.

"It's a masked dance, so if we hid my hair, I think we'd be fine. As long as my mask stays on." Miley tugged on the tips of her hair anxiously, "Would you want to go with me?"

"Of course!" Lilly nearly squealed, "And since you actually know colors, we can match my dress to your tie over the phone."

Miley giggled, "Boys are so colorblind."

Lilly nodded, "Especially Oliver."

"What about me?" Oliver poked his head into their conversation. "Come on! Hurry up, I want to tell you!"

"Wow, Ollie, she must have really caught your attention!" Miley wasn't sure how to feel about that. She truly wanted Oliver to be happy, but she couldn't get over her dislike for the ornery pop star so easily.

"And how…" He trailed off, eyes glazing over.

"Lilly, I think this requires immediate action." Miley winked at Lilly and discreetly went to poke Oliver's side. Lilly caught on and mirrored the action on his other side. When they made contact, Oliver jumped a foot in the air. He howled loudly and squirmed.

"Girls! Stop it!" He was almost in tears, laughing uncontrollably.

Miley called off the attack, "Let's get to your house, Mr. Oliver, if you're so desperate to tell us."

Oliver perked up, "Let's get going already!"

Lilly chuckled, linking her arm in Oliver's and her other in Miley's. With both arms occupied it looked like a friendly activity. Miley had to commend Lilly for thinking ahead. Now they could maintain contact without worrying.

They were about ten feet from Oliver's house when the dam broke. "She's so great!"

When they reached the front door, Miley was seriously regretting coming home with Oliver to listen. She didn't like hearing her rival praised so lavishly. Lilly removed her arm from Oliver, giving her full attention to Miley now that there was no one around to see.

Up in Oliver's bedroom, he recounted his evening…

**Wednesday Evening – 5:30 P.M.**

Oliver dug through his closet, trying to find something suitable. He really wanted to impress Mikayla and he knew it was going to be a struggle. Slipping on a pair of khaki slacks, normally only worn for Christmas dinners and special occasions, he studied himself in the mirror. The pants would have to do. As for a shirt, he pulled on a navy sweater.

He ran to the bathroom and scrubbed his teeth until they sparkled. His face got scrubbed, his nails cleaned. He tried to fix his hair and found it a battle not worth fighting. If he touched it, it might get worse. So he settled on swishing mouthwash around for a while, hoping to use enough to keep his breath fresh all evening.

After he was clean and fixed up, he dove into the hall closet, trying to find a pair of formal black shoes. His pair was at the very back and slightly dusty so he grabbed a pair of socks from his laundry basket and set to rubbing them as shiny as he could get them.

A honk from the driveway sent his heart a-thudding. He practically tore his laces as he tried to tie his shoes. The second honk sent him flying out the door with a loud holler to his mother, telling her he'd be back before midnight.

Mikayla was waiting in the limousine. She had put on a bleached-blonde wig, the hair styled to about her mid-back. Behind her large sunglasses, her eyes were disapproving. She took in his outfit with a grimace.

"It's not as terrible as that rapper get up, but it's not desirable."

His shoulders fell but he tried not to let it get him down, "You look great."

It was true – she wore a tight black skirt with a white blouse. The top few buttons were open, revealing the smallest v-shape of flesh possible. It tantalized Oliver, but he kept his distance. He did, after all, want a second date.

"I know."

Not discouraged, Oliver continued trying to make small talk. Mikayla continued to give short answers. The ride to the restaurant was fairly short, thankfully. Oliver was running out of harmless questions to ask.

"So, come here often?"

"No."

"Good, good." He nodded his head agreeably. The limo lurched to a halt, sending Oliver sprawling to the ground. Smiling with good-natured embarrassment, he picked himself up and went to the door. He opened it and helped her out of the limo.

She touched his hand as she stepped out and stared at him, stunned. There was something more to this oaf and she didn't like it. She didn't like that he treated her like she was a person. She didn't like that he was being so nice.

"Well?" She tapped her foot. "Open the door for me."

Oliver smacked his forehead – what was he thinking? He ran to the restaurant and pulled the glass door open for her. "After you."

She sauntered over to the host, leaning on his podium, "Reservation for two, under the name Key."

Oliver tailed after her like a faithful puppy, "Should I call you Key for the evening?"

"No." She shrugged off his interest.

The host led them to a secluded table. Oliver whistled softly. The restaurant looked clean, inviting, and most of all, expensive. He was glad he'd saved his allowance.

"Well you can call me Oliver. My name isn't really Mike, but that's what Mi… my friend Hannah told me to call myself. She doesn't want her secret out, y'know."

"Mm." Mikayla fiddled with the napkin, not paying a watt of attention to Oliver.

"I mean, Lola is a funny name, and so is Mike. Couldn't we have chosen better names? But mine was made up on the fly when we met that tennis player. I don't think too quickly under pressure. I just kinda saw that mike stand. And bam, Mike Standley was born."

"Mm."

"Are you listening to me?"

"Mm." Mikayla snapped to attention, "I guess."

"Please, Mikayla, can you give me a chance? I think you're really pretty, but that's not why I wanted to date you. I wanted to get to know you. Not the you that everybody sees, but the real you. Hannah has a real personality and an alter-ego. I just figured that you did, too."

Inside, Mikayla wanted to smile and start talking. But it was too hard – there were years of hiding and self-defense riddled into her mind. Not even this sweet-talker was going to break her mental barriers.

"I see. You can call me Fay for tonight." She was trying, though, and Oliver could tell.

"Fay. Pretty." Oliver picked up the menu, "Do you want any appetizers? I'm more of a main course man, myself."

She shrugged, looking down at her menu. Peering through her eyelashes, she gazed at him covertly. He was kind of cute, she had to admit, and sweet. She bit her lower lip. She hadn't let anybody close to her for years. Maybe it was time to make a friend.

"Do you really think I have an alter-ego?"

He glanced up and smiled gently, "Of course."

Her normal air of confidence had faded, leaving behind an unsure teenaged girl. Without Mikayla to hide behind, Fay had no shield. As cocky as she acted in public, she was still human. She still had doubts.

"Fay, I really want to know you. Well, I'll admit, I also want to kiss you." Oliver reached across the table and placed his hand on hers, "If you'll give me the chance."

She looked away and didn't answer aloud. But she knew, in her heart, that she'd contact him again. It was sweet of him, to believe in her so thoroughly.


	17. Escargot

**I'm trying to keep focused, I truly am. All in all, I've written 103 pages of this story -- longest thing I've ever bothered to finish typing. And I'm not done yet. It's starting to get longer than I planned, though. Although I was hoping to have it finished by next Friday, it might not be possible -- we'll see.**

**Cyrus Fan -- I'm working on a one shot for you but I do need to know which couple you want in the end.**

---

_Victory belongs to the most persevering._ - Napoleon Bonaparte

---

Oliver finished his story, smiling broadly. Miley, for one, was in shock. Mikayla was… human? It just didn't seem possible. Struggling to find the words to express herself, Miley babbled for a second – unintelligible gobbledy-gook.

Lilly spoke first, cutting off Miley's yammers, "Are you seeing her again?"

"I hope… She didn't specifically say we were going to, but I can hope, right?"

Miley stared between her two friends, still in shock, "Oliver, how can you like her! She's a witch!"

"Correction, Miles. She pretends to be a witch. I'm certain there's more to her than that." He sighed with a goofy smile welded to his mouth. "I thought you'd be happy for me! I think she's the one I want to marry."

"Oliver, you're sixteen. I'm pretty sure she's going to be old news to you by next week, when the next Angelina Jolie movie comes out."

Oliver shook his head vigorously, "Why can't you let me have this?"

Lilly nestled her hands on Miley's shoulders – she had gone to stand behind Miley moments earlier, sensing a storm brewing. She kneaded her hands, trying to calm Miley down before something happened. It worked.

"If you want…" Miley nearly started drooling.

Oliver shot Lilly an appreciative look. "So, did the press conference go okay? I'm sorry I couldn't be there to support you."

Miley shrugged, "It went as well as I could have hoped. I still have to wait and see how the public responds to it."

Lilly giggled, "You've got the support of Amber and Ashley."

"Girlfriend say what?" Miley demanded incredulously.

"I overheard them talking. It sounds like they're really into each other, but can't come out at school." Lilly explained.

Oliver smirked, "I knew they weren't perfect."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lilly asked. She was slightly offended. Was he referring to homosexual relationships?

"Nothing bad, I promise," he soothed, "I just meant they're always picking on others for being different. It's like kinda hypocritical that they taunt people for stuff and yet don't have the courage to be true to themselves."

"Yeah, they shouldn't hide." Lilly scoffed.

Miley reached up, holding onto Lilly's arm, "Lil, hon, we're hiding."

"Oh, right…" Lilly blushed.

"Which reminds me…" Miley turned her attention to Oliver, "Can you help me out? I want to take Lilly to the dance, but I need someone to help me get a tux."

Oliver gave her a mock salute, "My time is yours."

"Thanks." She got to her feet, stretching her arms behind her. "Lilly, we've gotta go do some planning. Oliver, I hope she calls, I really do. I'll be calling later to talk about the tuxedo."

"Bye, Ollie." Lilly waved as she followed Miley from the bedroom. They exited the house together.

"Miles, we need to do something about Rico. We have to out-weasel a weasel." Lilly grumbled. "I don't want to open his locker everyday!"

"At least you don't have to clean his seat. He had better have meant the chair. I ain't goin' near him." Miley stared up at the clouds, trying to think as she walked.

"We could set him up." Lilly suggested, "I happen to know quite a few little senoritas…"

"And then what?"

"I don't know… I mean, we could have her dump him and hurt him, or something. Or we could have her call him off." Lilly reasoned.

"Not good enough, but thanks." Miley chuckled, "We need something that'll definitely get him off our backs."

They reached the Stewart house and headed for the kitchen, still chattering off an on about what to do about Rico. Lilly plopped down at the island, letting her eyes close halfway. Miley went to a cabinet and pulled out two glasses and poured some orange juice for them.

Lilly sipped from hers, losing hope. "There's just nothing we can do short of coming out."

"And we already agreed we're not doing that, right?" Miley insisted.

"Agreed." Lilly muttered.

"I mean, the last thing people need to see, especially Rico, is us coming out right after Hannah and Lola did. It would be really simple to piece it together." Miley fidgeted.

Lilly huffled quietly, "I just wish I knew how Rico knew to listen to us! I mean, we weren't acting like a couple at the beach."

Miley shrugged noncommittally. "He's a sneaky little devil."

A clattering on the back porch caught their attention; Jackson staggered in looking like a mess. He had mud caked through his hair, a black eye, a nose bleed, a split lip, and his shirt was nearly torn from his body. His pants, thankfully, were mostly in tact.

"Jackson!" Miley rushed to his side, "What happened to you!?"

He chuckled lowly, not wanting to sound too depressing, "I got Rico off your back for you."

Lilly joined Miley at preening over Jackson. They helped him to the couch and Lilly went to get some ice from the freezer.

"What do you mean?" Miley whispered, trying to get Jackson's hair in order.

"I couldn't let him blackmail you. So I went to him and I said, Rico, you can push me around, but you can't mess with my baby sister. He agreed to stop blackmailing you if I worked for free for the next three months."

"So how come you're so beat up?"

Lilly returned with the ice and a wet washcloth. She gently wiped his face as he answered.

"Well… when I first approached him, I was going to beat the snot out of him." Jackson ducked his head, "He had anticipated that reaction from me and had two big guys with him."

Miley wanted to whack Jackson's shoulder but she refrained, "You didn't have to do that, Jackson. We would have figured something out."

"Miles, I got you into that mess. I just had to get you out of it."

Lilly smiled at Jackson, "Thanks, bro. I guess I don't need to prank you."

Jackson stared at her blankly, "You were going to prank me?"

"Well, after you spied on me and Miley, I thought it would be fun to play with your head or something. But now that you went and did something like this, it would totally be uncool." Lilly explained.

Miley hugged Jackson around the shoulders, "I think you need a shower, boy."

He nodded, "Am I forgiven?"

"Yeah, I think you are."

Hobbling away, Jackson couldn't help but smile. He winced, losing the smile as his lip split again. "Thanks."

Lilly fell onto the couch beside Miley. "So. Why didn't you tell me it was his fault?"

"I didn't think you needed to know. I mean, he was feeling bad enough." Miley explained mildly. She wrapped an arm around Lilly's shoulder, "You don't mind, do you?"

"I guess not. You'll have to make it up to me, though." Lilly snuggled closer, "Take me out tomorrow night."

"I'm sure Hannah could get reservations somewhere nice. I think the best part about coming out with them is that we can be out in public and still together." Miley laid her head on top of Lilly's.

"I didn't think about that!" Lilly crowed, delighted.

"So where do you want to go?" Miley reached over to run her hand along Lilly's knee.

"Somewhere with good French food."

"You like French cuisine?"

Lilly snaked her hand under Miley's arm to give Miley a sideways hug. "Don't know. But I've always wanted to try."

"French food it is."

And French food it was. Friday evening rolled around and Miley pulled her wig on. Lilly was waiting in her room, already dressed and ready, but Miley had changed her mind last minute on what she wanted to wear.

"Hurry up, Miley! We're going to be late!" Lilly hollered, running a hand down her skirt. She was wearing black fishnet stockings, a jean skirt, and several tank tops, each of them a different shade of blue. Her wig was a navy color and she had a white headband on.

Miley snapped the last button shut on her pants and ran out of the closet. She grabbed Lilly's hand and hurried them downstairs to the waiting limousine. Lilly barely had time to appreciate Miley's new outfit. Instead of her earlier outfit, Miley now sported casual black dress pants and a light pink halter top. Her shoes were flat and open toed, whereas Lilly wore small heels to even out their heights.

In the limousine, they sat close to each other; Miley managed to keep her body touching Lilly's at all times, whether it was their knees touching, their hands brushing, or simply holding on Lilly's wrist. At the restaurant, Miley tried to get in inconspicuously, which proved harder than she thought. The moment she stepped out of the limousine flashes went off. Lilly stayed close to her as they fought their way to the doors of the restaurant.

"Ah, Miss Montana, it is so good to see you." The host bowed his head in greeting before checking through his list of reservations. "Many apologies for the crowd out there. We just could not get them to leave. It seems that one of our waiters let it slip that you'd be here."

Miley waved it off, "As long as they stay outside, I think we're good. Just tell me I'm not at a window table."

He shook his head, "I have you at a rear booth. Please, follow me."

Following the host, Miley and Lilly power walked through the restaurant. Miley was very aware of the strange looks they were receiving but she didn't know how to take it. Were the strange looks merely because of her celebrity status, the normal odd stares, or was this because it was two girls on a date?

They settled in at the table and picked up their menus. Lilly glanced through it and knew what none of it was.

"Hannah, you'll have to pick for me." Lilly whispered, feeling a little ashamed.

"How do you feel about snails?" Miley whispered back.

"Ew. Just ew."

Miley giggled, "Just kidding, Lola. I wouldn't put you through that."

"Are you Hannah Montana?" A young man walked over, clutching a napkin in his hands. He looked excessively nervous.

"Yes, I am." Miley replied.

"I just wanted to say that you're very brave, coming out even though it could have ruined your career and all. It gave me the courage to tell my parents…"

"Oh, that's great. I hope it went well."

The man shrugged, "It turns out they both knew already. I didn't think it was that obvious… But I guess getting caught in bed with your best friend is kind a dead give away. I really thought they bought my excuse, too. It was just a lice check."

Miley suppressed a shudder. "I'm happy for you?"

"Thanks. Anyway, I came over to see if I could get your autograph."

"Sure." Miley scribbled out a sprawling _Hannah Montana_ and smiled at him. He walked back to his table, leaving Lilly and Miley in peace. Miley sighed with relief, "I'm glad some people are supporting me still."

Lilly smiled at her. "You knew they would. I told you, Hannah, you've just gotta have faith in people."

Miley leaned across the table and gave Lilly a peck on the cheek. "You were right."

Unsatisfied with that, Lilly followed Miley as Miley leaned back into the cushion, pressing a kiss straight on Miley's lips. "I always am."


	18. Nobody's Perfect

**Okay, so I lied. Again. I really need to stop that. I miscalculated slightly -- I did end up throwing you guys a bone in here. It's nothing big, to say the least, but it's more than they've done this entire work of fiction. So there's a warning (?). I question myself every time I prep a chapter -- why in the world did I think it would be fun to match a quote to every chapter? Some of these chapters are ones I already chose a quote for, but some, like this one, refuse to have a good quote.**

---

_One kind word can warm three winter months._ - Japanese Proverb

---

Their food was served in a timely manner, and Lilly thoroughly enjoyed it. Or at least she tried to, but some of the food was a little strange and she didn't have that flexible a palette. Miley was bothered a few more times by people wanting autographs, though Miley tried to make it quick. It was a large relief to Miley, however, to have people who still wanted her autograph.

"So, Lola, would you want to come here again?"

Lilly shrugged. "I'd like to try other places, too. But the food was really good."

Miley could tell from the look on Lilly's face that the food wasn't all that great. They were back in the limousine after wading through crowds of reporters. She found it quite funny that they would wait around while she ate dinner just to get a few pictures. It's not like she was going to stop an answer questions.

"Are you sure? I wasn't too fond of it."

"You weren't?" Lilly let out a breath of air. "That's good. I didn't want to offend you 'cause I didn't know if you liked it or not and I didn't want to be awkward, but if you didn't like it I can tell you that I really didn't like it but I liked being out with you, so I did have a good time."

"Lola?" Miley waited for the spew to die down.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to like something just because I like it. You're not going to hurt my feelings." Miley chuckled.

Lilly blushed lightly. "Right."

"Shall I take you home?" Miley asked, hoping the answer would be no.

"Where else can we go?"

Miley pulled her cell phone out, checking the time. It was still only seven o'clock. "We could catch a movie…"

"And let you get mobbed?" Lilly responded.

"What if we took off the wigs? And just went as Miley and Lilly?"

"And risk people noticing our clothing matches Hannah and Lola?"

Miley hated it when Lilly made sense. "So what do you want to do?"

"I want to go to the beach." Lilly proclaimed.

"Okay." Miley leaned up to the driver, "You heard the lady."

The driver tipped his hat, "Yes ma'am."

Miley settled back into her seat and ran her fingers along the seatbelt. Lilly watched her anxiously.

"Are you okay with the beach?"

"I'd say something if I wasn't." Miley reassured Lilly, "We can get a little dirty, can't we?"

Lilly blushed furiously, "Yeah… sure…"

"Oh come on, Lils, get your head out of the gutter." Miley giggled.

The blush darkened, "Miley…"

"Okay, okay, I'm stopping." Miley rolled down one of the windows slightly to let in a burst of fresh sea air. Lilly sniffed it appreciatively.

Soon enough they were at the beach and Lilly was tumbling through the sand happily. She was careful, though, to keep her skirt down. Miley followed after her, shoes abandoned back in the limousine. Their driver had promised to return in an hour or so, giving the girls some time to themselves.

Lilly fell to the ground and began digging furiously. It was childish, she knew, but burrowing and making tunnels was one of her favorite beach activities. Miley went to her side and helped dig. Occasionally their hands would brush; each time sent little sparks through Miley's body and she eventually couldn't stop herself from pushing Lilly back from the holes and down into the sand.

Pressing herself down on Lilly's body, she nuzzled Lilly's neck gently and kissed the blonde's jaw line. Lilly's breathing had quickened, leaving her near breathless when Miley pulled away. Ever cautious of Lilly's feelings and desires, Miley gazed down at her girlfriend, asking permission to press another kiss on Lilly's inviting lips.

Lilly wrapped her hands around Miley's neck, vaguely aware of the sand that was tickling her neck and probably getting embedded in her wig. That was permission enough for Miley who leaned back down and kissed Lilly gently. Leaving one hand for support in the sand, Miley sent the other to caress Lilly's ribs. She hoped that she was doing this right. Lilly had no complaints; she just wished the sand was a firmer surface. Any slight shift in her body sent more sand toppling down her shirt and into her skirt. Her hands tightened behind Miley's head.

Miley eventually paused in her work and fell beside Lilly, grinning manically. She'd wanted to do that for what felt like years. Lacing their fingers together, Miley pressed her thigh against Lilly's in the hopes that Lilly would some how get some of the emotion that Miley was feeling. Even without Miley pressed against her, Lilly was feeling very close to the way Miley was. Her heart felt like it was air in her chest. If she wasn't weighed down by her body, she felt like she'd be zooming through the darkening sky. Her lips buzzed with excitement and her fingertips tingled pleasantly.

"Hannah…" Lilly murmured, wishing she could be whispering Miley's name. "Thanks for tonight."

Miley sighed softly, "I should thank you."

"Why?" Lilly sat up slightly, genuinely curious. As far as she could tell, their entire relationship was based on Miley's determination, love, and perseverance.

"You gave me a chance." Miley sat up as well.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner." Lilly murmured, casting her eyes downward.

"At least you saw it." Miley wiggled her toes through the sand. "I don't know how long I would have lasted, though, if you held out."

"I bet only a few more days. I'm hard to resist." Lilly joked.

"That's for sure." Miley agreed.

"So why me?"

Miley's toes paused momentarily, "What do you mean?"

"You could have anybody you wanted and you chose me." Lilly wanted to bury herself in the sand just to hide. She felt bad for asking but sometimes she felt like she wasn't pretty, or feminine, or even desirable. When she was with Miley, all the boys flirted with Miley. Lilly was just the tag-along. When she was with Oliver, no boy ever even looked in her general direction.

"Lola, you're the best friend a girl could have. What's not to love?"

"I'm sorry…" Lilly whispered.

Miley could tell that Lilly wanted more, so she tried to put it into better words, "You know what I love most about you, physically?"

Lilly shook her head silently.

"I really love your hair. I wish my hair was like yours." Miley shook her wig out. "Blonde hair is just so pretty and yours is so smooth. I've always wanted to just run my fingers through it."

"Seriously?" Lilly stared at Miley, shock written blatantly on her face. "But you have Hannah's hair."

"It's nowhere as good as a real head of hair." Miley commented wistfully. Sometimes she felt like a bald man with a bad toupee.

"It's too bad my hair is in this wig right now." Lilly tried to ease the embarrassment she was feeling. It was absurd to feel awkward over a comment, but that was her usual reaction. She was too used to being teased.

"Lola, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Miley tried to lighten Lilly's spirits. "And I mean that."

Swallowing roughly, Lilly turned her attention back to the tunnels, "We should fill the holes in before the limo gets back."

"If you want." Miley couldn't help but feel like she'd failed some sort of test. "Lola, you do know I'm serious right?"

Lilly shrugged, "Can we not talk about this now?"

Miley nodded, "If you want… Hey, want to go shopping tomorrow? We can drag Mike along."

"Sure." Lilly suddenly felt short on words. "Sounds great."

The limousine returned and they climbed back inside. After switching cars once for safety, Lilly abandoned her wig in Miley's possession and was dropped off at home. When she was alone, Miley groaned miserably. It felt like she was losing a race. Worse than that, it felt like her legs were weighted down so she didn't have a chance at winning.

The next day she was ready to try again, though. She picked Oliver up first and briefed him on his mission. He was to make sure Lilly was in a good mood and he was not to pick a fight, no matter how tempting or easy it was. He saluted and they headed to pick Lilly up.

"So what are we shopping for?" Oliver asked – he'd already asked the same question three times previously.

"We told you, Ollie, stuff for the dance."

"I know, I know. But what is 'stuff'?" He questioned uneasily.

"Well, you're going to have to help me find a tuxedo that'll fit. But I can't exactly try it on without drawing attention to myself," Miley explained, "And we're going to find Lilly a nice dress."

Lilly sighed, "Miles, we went over this… I don't have money."

"It's my treat, Lil. You deserve it." Miley tried to be encouraging. And besides, after Robby upped her allowance, the first thing she had wanted to do was spend it on Lilly. "A gorgeous dress for a gorgeous girl."

Lilly let her gaze fall to the floor, "Whatever you say."

Miley elbowed Oliver in the ribs. He glared at her but took his cue, "Yeah, you're really pretty."

Hearing it as sarcasm, Lilly picked up the pace, walking a little faster than Miley and Oliver. Miley rolled her eye at Ollie.

"Smooth goin', Oken."

He shrugged, "It's not my fault she's not listening."

It was a struggle not to smack him. "Oliver, can you please go find me a simple tuxedo?"

He took that as a dismissal, "I'll see if I can find a small one."

As soon as he was gone, Miley sped up. She reached Lilly's side quickly enough but Lilly refused to slow down. After a few minutes of grabbing Lilly's arms in an attempt to get Lilly to listen, Miley finally just stopped dead in her tracks.

"Fine. Be that way."

That caused an abrupt halt in Lilly as well. "Miles… I'm sorry…"

"You've been saying that way too much lately." Miley interjected. "I don't like it. You haven't done anything to be sorry for."

Lilly shrugged, "I just wish you'd stop complimenting me."

"Why? I'm not allowed to compliment you anymore?" Miley didn't understand. She pulled Lilly aside, out of the main stream of mall traffic.

"I know you don't mean it, so please don't waste your breath." Lilly muttered, not willing to make eye contact.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miley demanded, "You think you're ugly?"

Lilly shrugged, "I guess."

"Have you looked in a mirror?" Miley pushed a loose strand of hair behind Lilly's ear. She gazed into Lilly's eyes, "Lil, you're stunning. I wouldn't say it unless I meant it, you know that."

Lilly softened, "I'm really lucky, you know that?"

Miley nodded sagely, "Yes, I know. Anybody who's got such a loving, caring, beautiful, talented –"

Lilly chuckled, mood broken, "I get it. You're perfect."

"Thank you!" Miley accepted the comment with a bow and small flourish of her hands. "Now what do you say we find you the perfect dress for next week?"

Smiling widely, Lilly nodded, "If you're sure you want to pay…"

And suddenly, miles away, Robby rescued his wallet from his back pocket, holding it in his hands. He realized that giving Miley a little freedom with Hannah money might possibly end badly. Shrugging, he threw the wallet aside and continued playing Jackson's video games.


	19. Close to Perfect

**This would have been out last night but I couldn't get the Documents page working for me. Sorry for the delay. I had originally planned this story for twenty-two chapters, but it's looking like it's going to be more than that. I am contemplating a sequel to this when it's over, but that won't happen for a long while and I bet people would get angry over what I have planned. Either a sequel or an epilogue.**

**In response to Brittany -- It's kind of sad, but I don't have inspiration. I guess I get inspired by what I'm writing, when I'm writing it? Rarely I get it from awkweird dreams I have, or moments out in life where I think to myself, I could probably use this for my own purposes. **

**I was surprised nobody caught where I 'borrowed' the lice check from. I guess nobody watches Will and Grace anymore. **

---

_When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield._ - Quintilian

---

Lilly twirled in her dress; it was amazing how good one could feel in the right clothing. Miley smiled at her girl as Lilly flounced in front of the mirror. The dress was a stunning sky blue sleeveless number. It was floor length, but a little too long for Lilly's small stature. It pooled on the ground at Lilly's feet but Miley knew it would be just long enough if Lilly wore heels.

"Do you like it?" Lilly asked. No matter how much she loved it, Miley's opinion meant more to her at times than her own.

"It looks great on you." Miley complimented easily. And it was the truth. The color of the dress really brought out the blues in Lilly's eyes.

"I know I haven't really tried on many but… I feel like this is the one…" Lilly returned her gaze to the mirror. She was almost smitten with the article of clothing.

"Then you shall have it." Miley got up and walked over, fingering the silky material. A furtive glance around confirmed that they were alone in the Changing Room; Miley snuck a quick kiss onto Lilly's cheek, "I'm going to be the envy of every guy at that dance."

Lilly beamed. "I'm sure you'll look sharp in a tuxedo, too."

Miley fiddled with her hair, "I hope. I guess I'm going to have to do something about my chest." She stared wistfully in the mirror. Although she wasn't extremely busty, she did anticipate a little pain when she got to that part of her costume.

Lilly was silent a moment, not sure how to respond. "I'm sure you'll look great without a chest?"

Rolling her eyes, Miley went back to her seat. "Go change out of the dress and we'll find you some earrings, okay?"

Lilly twisted a strand of hair between her forefinger and thumb. "Miley, I don't think I could ever thank you enough for this."

Miley shrugged it off, "You'd do the same for me, right?"

"If I was an undercover pop star with money, totally." Lilly spun around once more for good measure. Satisfied with how she looked, Lilly returned to the little stall that held her real clothing and carefully changed back – it simply wouldn't do if she ripped the dress.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, Miley was already standing up with a goofy smile on her face. Lilly smiled back and handed the dress to Miley; Miley held it above her head to keep the bottom from dragging. At the front of the store, Miley left the dress with the cashier so that the two could continue shopping for accessories.

"How about these earrings?" Lilly held up giant silver hoops. They were almost as big as her head.

"I think your ears would fall off," Miley laughed. "What about these?"

"Ooh!" Lilly reached for the sapphire studs that Miley was holding up. She took them and held them up to one ear. "Lilly like-y!"

"Miley like-y, too. And they'll totally match your dress."

"And my ears will stay on." Lilly added.

"Now all we need to find is a necklace to match and a nice pair of high heels." Miley gazed around, looking for a rack of necklaces.

"Why a necklace?"

"Your dress has an open neck. You can't just leave your neck bare, you need something there." Miley wandered over to some promising looking stands. She sifted through the silver chains and waited for something to grab her attention.

"What about a locket." Lilly asked, holding up a simple chain with a small heart shaped locket dangling from the end.

"Wouldn't you be afraid someone would open it?"

Lilly eyed Miley, "What do you mean?"

"I just thought that… you know… our picture would be inside…"

"Where would you get an idea like that," Lilly scoffed, "I was going to put Jake and his ego on one side… They are such a cute couple, you know."

"And on the other?"

"Oliver and I." Lilly paused for dramatic effect. "You see, Miley, we're madly in love."

"Did someone mention my name?" Oliver entered the dress store, arms laden with a large box.

"Lilly was just telling me about your steamy love affair." Miley explained.

Oliver shot Lilly a horrified glance, "Lillster! How could you! That was supposed to be our secret! I suppose you told her that I'm bearing your child, too?"

Lilly's jaw dropped, "Oliver! You're pregnant! But I used protection!"

Oliver's face whitened. "Then… please tell me you don't have an identical twin…"

"Don't tell me you slept with Jill!" Lilly gasped.

Miley cut their show off. "Guys, guys, save the drama for the soap operas."

Oliver sighed, "Why do you suck the fun out of everything?"

"Because you're talking about sleeping with my girlfriend a little too easily." Miley raised her eyebrows and cocked her head.

He blushed, "You know there's nothing going on… I mean, it was over years ago…"

Lilly leaned over and whispered in Miley's ear. "Confidentially, he ate the crayons."

"I did not! Well… not on purpose. I thought they were Cheetos. At least, that's what Jimmy told me…" Oliver sighed. "My mom said that she'd never seen such colorful throw up in all her years as a cop and mother."

"A little too much information," Miley groaned.

Lilly waved the locket in Miley's face, "Please, Miles. I wouldn't mind if someone saw our pictures in here. I mean, friends have friend's pictures in lockets, right?"

"If that's what you want." Miley conceded. She found that it was getting harder and harder to tell Lilly no.

"And as for shoes, I can just borrow Hannah's, right?" Lilly wheedled shamelessly.

"Sure." Miley smiled. "So Oliver, what's in the box?"

"I found you a nice tuxedo. Took a big chunk of my yearly spending money, but you are paying me back, right?"

"Right." Miley glanced at the box, "Do you think it'll fit me?"

"I got the smallest one I could find. And I figured you could always call Hannah's fashion designer, right? He could tailor it better to your frame and everything."

"Good job, Oliver!" Miley would have cheered for him if they weren't inside a formal store.

"Hey, do you guys think Mikayla would go with me to the dance?"

Lilly shrugged, "It's possible. I mean, nobody would know it was her, right?"

"You should ask." Miley almost retched. It was horrible acting nicely about her rival, but if Oliver really liked the girl, the least she could do was be supportive.

"I have to wait for her to call," Oliver sighed. "I have her number set to _One in a Million_."

Miley didn't know if she should be thrilled or disgusted that he had chosen one of her songs for Mikayla. So she smiled weakly, "I hope that works out for you."

Leaving Oliver to moon over Mikayla, Miley and Lilly returned to the cash register. Miley set the earrings and locket down on the counter and went into her purse to find her wallet.

The woman cashier rang everything up carefully, "One satin dress, one pair of earrings, one silver locket. Is that all?"

Miley nodded, "Lilly?"

Lilly confirmed it, "Yes."

"Okay… your total comes to three hundred and eleven dollars and fifty six cents."

Miley handed over her credit card – no longer just for emergencies. She'd learned her lesson the first time around and used it more wisely now. It helped, she found, that it was her own money she was dealing with now. Everything paid for, Miley took the bag containing all three purchases and left the store. Lilly had snapped Oliver from his woebegone dreaming and the three of them headed to the food court.

They settled in at a small table, not quite ready to buy lunch yet. Lilly and Oliver got into a small argument over which Backstreet Boy was gay, a conversation in which Miley had little interest. She gazed around and let her eyes settle on a newsstand. One of the newspapers had a picture of her on the front with the headline **Sales Up!**.

"I'll be right back," she commented, not that either one could hear her over the quarrel. She hurried over to the stand and put a dollar on the counter. Newspaper bought she returned to the table and flipped to F5, the continuation of the cover story.

_Although record sales did initially drop after Miss Montana came out, sales have once again skyrocketed. It seems she has reached out to a different demographic with this breaking news – older teens and young adults have not been affected negatively. In fact, previously uninterested in her music, high school aged students have started buying the c.d.'s, a touching gesture to support Hannah Montana. Some of the younger audience has dropped away, though that may be due, in part, to the restriction of parents._

Miley folded the newspaper up, not willing to read more. Hannah's career was safe and that's all that she needed to know. She tried to get back into Lilly and Oliver's conversation.

"It's totally Brian!"

Oliver shook his head, "You're crazy. It's Howie. I know these things."

Miley interjected, "Weren't they all gay?"

That ended the argument – neither felt up to denying it. Oliver rubbed his stomach as it rumbled.

"I think I'm ready for some Mexican food." He jabbed a thumb towards Taco Bell.

"Oh come on, Ollie, we eat there all the time." Lilly complained, "Can we get Panda Express?"

Both looked to Miley for guidance, "Why don't you buy what you want?"

Her suggestion lit up their faces. It was as if they'd never thought to buy separate meals. Oliver was gone in a flash but Lilly lingered.

"Can I get you something?"

Miley grinned, "I just figured I'd steal some of your food anyways. I'm not really hungry, but thanks."

Lilly waited a moment more. There was an odd sort of tension between the two and Lilly wanted to comment but didn't. It was getting hard, she found, to keep their relationship secret in public. There were moments when all she wanted to do was lean in and snuggle up to Miley, or hold Miley's hand. Those moments translated into uncomfortable silences.

While her friends were gone buying food, Miley pulled out her cell phone – it was vibrating in her pocket. Flipping it open, she greeted her father.

"Hey Daddy. What's up?"

"I thought I'd tell you that Aunt Dolly's in town. We're havin' a barbeque on Tuesday, so if you wanted to invite Lilly an' Oliver and their families, the more the merrier." Robby explained. "And Dolly says howdy."

Miley smiled, "I'll ask 'em. Thanks, Daddy."

"No problem, bud."

"Did you say anything to Aunt Dolly about me and Lilly?" Miley asked nervously.

"No. That's up to you. You know she won't mind." Robby reassured his daughter, "She loves you. I love you, too, bud."

"Bye, Daddy." Miley sighed and snapped the phone shut as Oliver returned with a steaming burrito.

"Ah, yo quero Taco Bell." He imitated the Spanish accent as best he could.

"What ever happened to that dog, anyways?" Miley pondered, mind wandering. She remembered the barbeque quickly, though. "Oh Oliver, are you busy next Tuesday night?"

He shook his head, "Don't think so. Why?"

"My family's having a barbeque and you and your family are invited."

His face brightened, "Could I bring Mikayla."

Miley suppressed her distaste, barely. "What if she figures out that I'm Hannah and Lilly is Lola. It wouldn't be hard. I mean, Mike hangs out with two female best friends. You hang out with two female best friends. I know she's not stupid."

"Miles, I promise you can trust her." Oliver swore and crossed his heart.

"I don't know…" Miley sighed. "Can I think about it?"

He nodded, "You won't regret it."

She watched Lilly up at the Panda Express and sighed, "Do you really like her? I mean really truly?"

"Miles, I don't expect you to understand, but I know her better than anybody else in the world, I think. And that's after only one date. She's not as big and tough as she makes people think. It's all an act, y'know? Like when you're Hannah you act like a totally different person, too."

"Do I?" Miley questioned.

"Sometimes. I mean, you have a lot more power as Hannah and it's kinda obvious that you know how to use it." Oliver clarified, "It's not a bad thing… you're just different, is all."

"And you're saying that Mikayla isn't a witch under it all?"

"Right."

Miley settled her head onto her arms, "What is the world coming to?"

Oliver didn't quite have an answer.


	20. Learning to Trust

**The next chapter has been giving me some trouble, so I apologize if this chapter is a little late. I was going to post it last night before I realized that twenty-one wouldn't be done in time. Oddly enough, I have chapter twenty-three almost completed. I need to buckle down, though, and stop playing Minesweeper. Twenty-one needs to get finished... And it will... Eventually...**

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_The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him._ - Henry Stimson

---

Miley slid her fork into Lilly's pile of rice. Oliver was sulking over his burrito; another argument had sprung up concerning the sexuality of 'N Sync and Lilly had pulverized him with a few short words. It was obviously Nick, the one who came out. Oliver grumbled but shut his mouth.

"So Lilly, are you free Tuesday?" Miley asked. She held a hand under her fork to catch any renegade grains of rice making a break for it.

"I was planning on spending the day with you," Lilly hid her mouth behind her hand. She disliked talking with her mouth full, but she'd just taken a large bite when Miley asked her the question.

"Great. You should invite your parents to the barbeque." Miley wanted Lilly's parents there, especially Mr. Truscott. Maybe seeing the two girls together would make it easier on him. And if that didn't work, Robby Ray was pretty good with words.

"I still don't see why you don't want Mickey there." Oliver prodded the last remnants of his Mexican meal.

"Mickey?"

"Well, yeah. What did you want me to call her?" Oliver questioned. He'd tried thinking of other nicknames but couldn't find anything good. "Ayla? Kay? Mika?"

"I guess Mickey's okay," Miley sighed. "And I'm just worried about her finding out my secret."

"You just have to trust me, Miles. I know she'll be cool about it."

Lilly scraped her plastic fork along the bottom of her plate. "I kinda agree with Miley on this one, Ollie. It's dangerous."

Not wanting to hurt Oliver or his budding relationship, Miley tried to compromise. "Look, if you have another date with her before the barbeque and she really connects with you, you can invite her."

"Seriously?" Oliver jumped to his feet.

"Well, Lola and Hannah would have to tail you guys. I'll give you a sign or something if you're good to invite her." Miley muttered. It was killing her to give in but Oliver was an important part of her life. She had to try and make room for Mikayla, if that's what Oliver really wanted.

"You won't interfere with the date?" Oliver asked suspiciously.

"Not unless you think it's a good idea. I mean, if we happened to run into you two it would be a good chance for me to gauge her goodness level." Miley wiped her fingers on a napkin. It seemed like a good idea to her.

Oliver was quiet a moment, ripping the edge of his used napkin anxiously. "Well, okay, but have some sort of excuse so that you can leave us alone after a while."

Lilly clapped her hands excitedly. "Miley, that's genius! I've been dying for some sushi."

Miley chuckled, "You're really into the foreign food lately, aren't you?"

"Well." Lilly shrugged, "I just figure I might as well see what's out there while I've got someone who can get me access to it all."

"So that's all I'm good for." Miley sniffed, kidding around. "I see how it is."

Lilly laughed. "Oh come on, Miles. You know it's not like that."

"I don't buy it." Miley let her eyes widen with false hurt.

"Miley, Miley, Miley…" Oliver chuckled, "You have no control of your woman. Now, Mikayla, I've got her trained." His phone went off and he fumbled with it, "Hey, babe. … Yes… Of course… Anything for you… Is sushi okay? Anything you want."

He snapped it shut and grinned foolishly. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Who's got who trained?"

Miley kicked her under the table, "So? Do you have a second date?"

"That was my mom… She wants me to pick up dinner." He still had a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Oliver… if that was your mom, then I'm the queen of Sheba."

Oliver bowed, "Your Highness."

Lilly smacked his shoulder lightly, "We're being serious, Ollie."

"Yeah, it was her. Tomorrow night at six o'clock, and Pink Godzilla." He relayed the information.

Miley nodded, "Sounds good to me."

Lilly stood and gathered the trash from the table. After throwing it away in the garbage receptacle, she returned to her seated friends and motioned for them to get up, too. Miley was on her feet in a heart beat but Oliver took his sweet time. They collected their belongings and headed for the exit of the mall.

The next evening came much too soon as far as Miley was concerned. She donned her wig regretfully and fiddled with her bracelets as she waited for Lilly to finish prepping. Playing nice with Mikayla was going to prove extremely hard, especially since she couldn't even think kind things about the other girl, let alone carry a nice conversation.

"Lilly, I don't know if I can do this." Miley groaned, holding a fist to her forehead, "I just can't stop being angry with Mikayla."

Lilly put the finishing touches on her make-up and turned to view her upset girlfriend. "Miley… just relax. And remember. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Sighing deeply, Miley nodded and tried to concentrate on that tidbit of advice, "I just have to keep quiet. That's what I'll do."

"Why do I get the feeling that you won't be able to do that?" Lilly reached a hand out expectantly. Miley took the offered limb and squeezed it tightly. "Look, Miley, if it gets bad, just tap me under the table and we'll leave."

"Even if it's before Oliver asks us to leave?"

Lilly pulled Miley close and placed a small kiss on Miley's lips, taking her time. "Whenever you want us to leave, we will."

"We better get going, then. I'm sure Oliver is expecting us any minute." Though she suggested they move, Miley hadn't budged – Lilly wasn't looking to change their arrangement either. It just felt right having Miley wrapped up in her arms.

Eventually, though, they pulled apart, each blushing lightly, and set out for the sushi place. It was close enough that they didn't require a ride there; Miley held tight to Lilly's hand as they walked the streets. Although they were both undercover as Hannah and Lola, they were both under-undercover, disguising their disguises so that Hannah wasn't mobbed on the streets.

The restaurant was less than a block away when Miley stopped short. Her brows knit together with worry.

"What if I ruin this for Oliver?" She whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to hurt him."

"You won't!" Lilly soothed.

"But what if I open my big mouth and Mikayla and I start fighting and Oliver has to choose! I don't want to lose him to her!" Miley's whispers were gaining volume and Lilly glanced around nervously – she didn't want someone overhearing.

"Hannah, just calm down." Lilly tugged Miley's arm, trying to get her moving again.

Miley did her best to take calming breaths. They entered the restaurant and Miley pulled her hat off. The restaurant's staff immediately paid attention to her and Lilly, guiding them to a table without complaint or a wait. Miley read the menu idly, glancing around the room. She spotted Oliver with a blonde chic; correctly, she deduced the girl to be Mikayla. He was smiling widely and she appeared relaxed.

"Are we going to head over there?" Lilly murmured.

Miley nodded, "Let's go, then."

Lilly was halfway across the room before she noticed that Miley wasn't with her. Glaring back at her obstinate friend, Lilly raised a demanding eyebrow. Dejected, Miley got up and followed after Lilly.

"Oliver, I didn't know you'd be here." Lilly greeted Oliver with a small smile.

"Lola, nice to see you." Oliver returned, "This is Fay."

Mikayla stared at Lola with barely hidden distaste, "Hello…"

"And this is Hannah, of course." Oliver stared at Miley for a second, begging her to behave.

"Nice to meet you, Fay." Miley grit her teeth.

"Likewise." Mikayla grunted and turned her attention away.

"Fay, these two are my really close friends… I think you'd like them if you gave them a chance."

Mikayla sighed and gazed at Oliver for several prolonged seconds, "Must I?"

"Yes." Oliver reached across the table and patted her arm. "Please."

Mikayla gave Miley a reluctant smile, "I suppose you already know who I am."

Miley nodded, "He hasn't stopped talking about you."

Mikayla flushed slightly, glancing at Oliver who was beet red. "He's an interesting guy…"

Oliver beamed proudly. He was interesting. "And you're a pretty girl…"

Mikayla reached over to fix his hair, "You know I hear that all the time, right?"

He shrugged, "Not from me."

She conceded his point, "Not from you."

Miley was in shock. She'd never seen Mikayla so soft. "Can I ask you a question?"

Mikayla jerked her arm back, remembering herself. "What is it, Montana?"

"Do you think we could be friends? For Oliver's sake?" Miley extended her hand.

At first, Mikayla didn't respond. She stared blankly at Miley's hopeful face. Lilly and Oliver both held their breaths, anticipating some sort of argument to spring forth. Nothing happened, though, other than Mikayla accepting the handshake.

"For Oliver."

Miley sighed with relief. "Oliver, you can invite her if you really want to."

Lilly gasped – she didn't expect Miley to trust Mikayla with her secret. "Hannah, are you sure you trust her?"

"Oliver says she's alright. And his word is good enough." Miley sighed.

"Thanks, Hannah! Um, Mikayla, would you like to come to a barbeque with me? As my, um, date?" Oliver stuttered.

Mikayla bristled slightly; she liked being in control and making dates. She didn't hold onto boyfriends for long because of that behavior. Most of the guys she knew wanted to be the 'man' in the relationship. It was bothersome if they tried to make plans for her.

"I suppose." She jabbed a chop stick into her bowl of rice. "But don't get used to asking me places, Oliver. I make the plans here, got it?"

Oliver smiled, "I just have one other question, before you take the pants back."

She chewed on her lip a moment but sighed, "One last request."

"Would you go to a Masquerade Dance with me next Wednesday? It's all supposed to be masked, so you wouldn't have to worry about being spotted…"

"I suppose." That seemed to be her one answer.

Oliver pumped his fist in the air, "You're too great."

Lilly tugged on Miley's arm, "Hannah, a waiter is heading to our table… We should probably get back there so we can order."

Miley and Lilly bid the two good bye and headed back to their table. Oliver watched them go with a smile.

"Thanks for trying, Mickey."

"Oliver, you will not call me that." She ordered.

"What should I call you?" He realized his mistake a moment after speaking, "Oh, sorry Fay. I slipped up."

"Just make sure to remember next time." She pushed her dishes to the side, finished eating. "Why was Hannah so worried about trusting me?"

"Well…" Oliver glanced at Miley and Lilly who were flirting openly as Hannah and Lola. He rubbed his head. "It's just, it's Hannah's barbeque. But she won't be Hannah. She'll just be herself so if you're there, you'll know who she is when she's not Hannah Montana…"

"Let me get this straight…" Mikayla tried to sort through his mess of dialogue, "If I go, I'll know who she really is?"

"Right. And that's a big thing for her. Only a few people know and we can't let her secret get out for the sake of her privacy." Oliver grabbed Mikayla's hand. "It means a lot if she'd let you into her life just because I like you."

Mikayla sighed. "I won't say anything. I promise. We might be rivals, but I'm not going to ruin her life."

"I knew she could trust you. I was telling her all along." Oliver brought Mikayla's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it tenderly.

"Enough." Mikayla rescued her hand. "I guess I should thank you."

He shrugged, "There's nothing to thank me for."

"You're right." His behavior was to be expected, she reasoned. He was a nice guy and trusting people was a nice guy thing.


	21. Hello Dolly!

**So I finally stopped playing Minesweeper long enough to get this chapter done. And it's not the way I imagined it, but it's good enough for me. But the real question -- is it good enough for you? I decided something -- there will be a small epilogue on the tail end of this story, and a sequel when I have the time to write it properly. If there's something you want to see in either, just make a request via review. The epilogue is going to be Christmas with the Stewarts but I'm not saying anything about the sequel.**

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_The character of a man is known from his conversations._ - Menander

---

Lilly found that she enjoyed Japanese food much more than French food, though Miley wasn't sure if she was fond of it. The walk home after eating was pleasant. Since it was a little later in the evening, there were fewer people on the streets and Miley didn't have to be as covert. It also helped that the lighting was dim; therefore, people wouldn't be as quick to recognize Hannah Montana.

Miley kept her hand around Lilly's waist, holding Lilly as close to her as possible. She wasn't feeling very talkative but she didn't think there was much to talk about. The evening had gone well, the stars were out, and she had Lilly pressed against her. It was as close to perfect as it could get. Lilly's mood was slightly less enthusiastic, but content all the same. She half-wished they could be this close without hiding behind Hannah and Lola.

The lights were still on when Miley reached her house. She tugged Lilly inside with her and pulled her wig off.

"Miles, I should get home!" Lilly had already removed her wig.

"Come say hi to Aunt Dolly." Miley insisted. "She was asking about my current relationship last night and I didn't really want to explain without you."

Lilly hesitated further, "Can't this wait? I mean, I'll see her on Tuesday…"

"If you really want to put it off." Miley nuzzled Lilly softly. "I won't make you."

Lilly checked her watch, "It's not that I don't want to tell her, it's just my mom is expecting me home in like five minutes, and I don't want to rush this conversation."

"Good thinking." Miley agreed, "So… Should I walk you home?"

Lilly shook her head, "No, I'm okay. You should go visit with your family."

After a short goodnight kiss, Lilly strolled home. Her thoughts were incredibly preoccupied – Miley could be so open about their relationship at times but so closed whenever it suited her. It was driving Lilly crazy. Either they were together or they weren't. It wasn't something that Miley could control on a whim.

She sighed as she stepped into her house. Miley would loosen up, she was sure of it. Winter break was coming and they would be able to settle into their relationship then. Soon enough, Lilly decided, she'd want less physical contact in public, not more. All they needed was a long break from other people.

During lunch the next day, Miley bought two tickets to the dance – each ticket came with a blank black mask. It was up to the wearer to decorate it if color was desired. Oliver also bought two and received his masks. They returned to where the lunch table where Lilly was waiting. Miley threw Lilly one of the masks.

"I think we should leave them black and bland." Miley took her seat, "The less noticeable we are the better."

Oliver's wistful sigh broke into her sentences. "I wonder what Mickey's going to wear."

"I thought you weren't supposed to call her that." Lilly interjected.

"What else am I supposed to call her?" Oliver asked, digging into his meal.

"Isn't her fake name Fay?" Miley chuckled; it was a silly fake name.

"Yeah, Fay Key." Oliver's eyes widened considerably, "I just got it! Fakie! That's really funny! She's so smart. And wonderful. And pretty."

Miley shoved his shoulder, "Can you put a stopper in your gob?"

Lilly resisted the urge to reach under the table and set her hand on Miley's leg. "Miley, let him gush. You know how it feels to be a girl in love."

"Yeah!" Oliver agreed. Moments later his eyebrows furrowed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Miley couldn't hold in her loud guffaws, "You got him, Lilly! You got him good!"

Lilly smiled smugly, "Don't worry, Oliver. We won't joke like this around her."

Oliver crossed his arms defensively. "You better not… I really like her."

"We won't… So, you gave her directions for tomorrow?" Miley asked.

"Yeah." Oliver returned to consuming his meal.

"And you're sure she's trustworthy?" Miley bit onto her lower lip. It was a big thing for her, letting her rival know her secret.

"She already told me she wasn't going to spill to anybody." Oliver reassured her as he slurped up a long strand of mystery meat.

Lilly grimaced in disgust, "How can you eat that stuff?"

Oliver grinned, "I'm a guy. It's food. You do the math."

"How do you know she's telling the truth?" Miley demanded.

"I just do. Miles, I know her really well." Oliver set his fork down. "If you don't trust her, just trust me."

Miley sunk down in her seat and cast her eyes to the floor. She felt slightly guilty for grilling Oliver like that. But… this was her secret they were talking about. If it got out, the life of Miley Stewart would be ruined. She'd be stuck as Hannah Montana. It's not like she just went out and told people for the fun of it.

Lilly rubbed Miley's arm – she wasn't sure if Miley would approve of this public gestures but it was something that friends did, right? Miley smiled at her gratefully.

"Ollie, put yourself in her shoes, will you?" Lilly whispered. "If someone finds out and even accidentally says something, her life as we know it is over."

Oliver's bright mood dimmed slightly, "I get it. I know what's at stake, but I trust her."

Miley waved a hand at him, "Let's just move on, okay?"

"So are we still okay with her coming?" Oliver questioned nervously.

"Yeah, yeah. But know this… If she says anything, I'm holding you responsible." Miley threatened.

He smiled weakly, "Good thing she won't say anything."

Miley shrugged. If he trusted Mikayla that much, she might as well give the girl a little credit. Lilly scooted her chair a little closer and tried to lay her leg next to Miley's. Miley shot her a warning glance and that killed any hope she had of physical contact in the lunch room. She completely withdrew and scooted more towards Oliver.

After school, Miley left Lilly with Oliver on the grounds that she had some family business to take care of. Lilly watched her run off with a heavy heart. Oliver took note of her long face and was very confused.

"Lils, what's up?" They walked slowly down the sidewalk. Her eyes were glued everywhere but on him.

"It's silly…" Lilly chuckled sadly. "I just… Miley just shuts us off whenever she wants… and I don't think that's fair."

Oliver nodded, "I saw that in the cafeteria."

"It's not even just that!" Lilly threw her hands into the air, "She pretty much decides when we're dating and when we're not allowed to been even touching."

"That's not good." Oliver agreed. "Have you tried talking to her?"

"No… I'm waiting for winter break. I was hoping that we'd be able to work something out then. It's just in the mean time, I don't know what I'm going to do. Is it so wrong to want to hold her hand? Or let our legs touch?" Although she asked the questions, Lilly wasn't really looking for answers. It was just nice to let someone else know her pain.

"It's not wrong at all." Oliver commiserated. "But at least you go to school with your girlfriend. I have no idea where Mickey is, what's she's doing, who she's with…"

Lilly giggled. "Sounds like we've both got it bad."

"We should write a blues song for Hannah Montana." Oliver chuckled.

Lilly linked arms with him. "Thanks for being a good listener, Ol."

"No problem, Lil." He returned.

Meanwhile, Miley barreled into her house, nearly knocking Robby Ray over as she pounded upstairs and threw her backpack to the floor. Once again nearly toppling her dad, she ran back down and flung herself onto the couch.

"Hey there, bud, what's the rush?" Robby put his hand on his head, possibly to stop the spinning of the room.

"Where's Aunt Dolly?" Miley glanced around, "I wanted to talk to her."

"Without Lilly?"

"Yeah." Miley sighed, "Sometimes I think she doesn't want anybody to know about us. It's so frustrating. I tried to get her to come in last night but she wouldn't. So I figure I should tell Aunt Dolly before the barbeque, even if Lilly won't."

Robby wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Things involving the couple should be done by the couple, not one half of said couple. But he had already decided that he wasn't going to butt into his daughter's relationship with Lilly.

"She's down on the beach."

Miley shot off the couch and raced down to the beach. She was excited to find her aunt. Dolly would understand no matter what. For Miley this was the last person on her list of people she wanted to know about the relationship.

"Aunt Dolly!" Miley yelled when she was about fifteen feet away. She gave one last burst of energy to get her to her aunt's side.

"Hey there kiddo." Dolly greeted her with a wide smile.

Miley hugged her tightly. "I wanted to talk to you. It's about who I'm dating."

"I knew you were dating!" Dolly cried. "Is it that Jake Ryan boy? He was a cutie."

Miley shook her head, "That's kind of what I wanted to tell you… It's not a boy."

Aunt Dolly paused and narrowed her eyebrows, "Not a boy? What is he, then? A dolphin?"

"No, she's not a he," Miley tried to explain, "Aunt Dolly, I'm dating a girl."

"Oh, well that makes more sense." Dolly sighed, "I was hoping you weren't goin' inter-species."

Miley relaxed considerably, "It's Lilly."

Dolly beamed, "I knew you had good taste, sweet pea. Is she treatin' you right?"

Miley nodded, "The best."

"So why isn't she here tellin' me with you?" Dolly raised her eyebrows.

Miley let her hands fall to the sand. Her fingers sifted until they hit upon something hard – either a shell or a chunk of driftwood. "She didn't want to tell you yesterday, so I figured she wouldn't want to tell you ever."

"Did she have a reason?"

"She said she had to be home in like five minutes," Miley explained, "but I don't know if that's the truth."

"Seems like a good excuse, though, hun." Dolly dusted the sand off her Capri pants.

"But you're okay with her, right?"

"Of course, Miley. As long as she doesn't hurt you, that is."

Miley shook her head, "Lilly would never do that."

"Then you have my blessing." Dolly got up and extended a hand down to Miley. When they were both standing they turned and walked placidly up to the house.

Tuesday afternoon came quickly – Miley had been watching the clock all day. She couldn't wait to have everybody together having a good time. Robby Ray had fired up the barbeque, Lilly and her parents had arrived, though Oliver and his family hadn't shown up yet.

Mr. Truscott was very anxious looking. He was uncomfortable when Miley and Lilly were even standing close to each other and had to look away if they actually touched. Miley hoped Lilly didn't notice his behavior; Lilly, of course, saw the way he was acting and tried to distance herself from Miley.

Robby Ray also saw something fishy going on with the other man. "Hey, Ed, want to help me grill a moment?"

Ed sighed – he knew something like this was going to happen. He hadn't wanted to go to this barbeque in the first place but Ellen was a very persuasive woman. Disgruntled, he walked over to the grill and waited for Robby to start harassing him.

"I know what you're going to say, Rob." Ed muttered.

"You do? That makes my job a little easier." Robby held out a long brush expectantly. Ed stared at it.

"Aren't you going to tell me to relax? That I need to accept my daughter's relationship because it makes her happy?" He questioned, quite confused.

Robby laughed. "No sir. I figured you get that on your own. I was going to ask if you could marinate the steak."

Ed cleared his throat, "Is it so wrong of me? To want her to date males?"

Robby shrugged, "It's not my place to tell you how to father your children. I'm supportin' Miley because I love her and being with Lilly isn't hurting anybody."

Scowling darkly, Ed splashed some of the teriyaki marinate on the waiting steaks. He turned and walked bitterly away. For someone who didn't want to tell him he was a bad father, Robby sure knew how to lace his words with poison.

"Ellen, I'm going home." He spat out. He didn't need to stay here and get berated for his beliefs.

"Ed! Don't do this!" She whispered fiercely back.

"Do what?" Lilly had approached, overhearing the heated words. Miley was a few steps behind her looking worried.

"Nothing, Lilly. Your father isn't feeling well."

Ed shook his head, "I can't watch you two together. It's disgusting! I'm not going to stay and stand by while my daughter is immoral."

Miley took a step back, completely blown away by his attitude. "Mr. Truscott, please…"

"I won't hear it." He shook a finger at her, "You're the one who lead Lilly down this path. It's your fault she's wrong."

Lilly narrowed her eyes. "Take that back, dad."

"No! I won't!" He gazed at her, "Lilly, why are you doing this to me?"

"This isn't about you! This about me and Miley and how we're happy together." She hurled her words at him like spears.

"How can you be happy?" He returned. "Sinning only provides momentary happiness. In the long run you'll be miserable!"

Mikayla, Oliver, and his family chose this moment to enter the backyard. They were all smiling pleasantly; Mikayla, for one, seemed particularly in a good mood. Oliver had his arm wrapped around her waist. They stopped dead in their tracks, however, after seeing the argument that had bubbled over.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Mikayla questioned.


	22. Connections

**I'm struggling with the next chapter -- not because I don't know what to write, but because I'm not sure if I should. I'm contemplating putting something close to a sexual scene in, but I'm not sure if it fits in with my story. It's not really my style to put sex scenes into my stories, unless of course there's a good reason for it, and if I did put it in, it wouldn't be them going all the way. I mean, seriously, they're fifteen in my story and they've been dating for around a week and a half. But I feel like I've dragged this story out with the barest minimum of fluff -- I think it might be time to put a little more in. Well, tell me what you think. I do take it into account.**

**Side note -- Will, Lilly's brother, is not at the barbeque because he's working. I thought I'd throw that in...**

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_Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much._ - Oscar Wilde

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Ed stopped in his rant and gazed at the newcomers. The look on his face made it seem like he was a puppy that had just piddled on the carpet. Without another word he stormed away, leaving Lilly looking lost.

Oliver gave Mikayla an apologetic squeeze before relinquishing his hold and hurrying to Lilly's side. "Lilly, are you okay?"

Miley could only stare at where Ed had gone. He was infuriating. How dare he talk to Lilly that way! Lilly was his daughter, even. She clenched her hands into fists, wanting to chase after him and smash his face in.

"Miley, maybe you should be the one doing this?" Oliver called quietly. Miley turned her attention to Lilly and sighed.

"I know." Miley took Oliver's place, hugging Lilly as if her life depended on it. Lilly barely responded. "Please, Lilly, don't be sad…"

Miley was terrified, to say the least. The last time something had happened with Lilly's father, it had ended with Lilly dumping her. She couldn't take that happening again. So, in a way, her life did depend on that hug. Lilly felt a stray tear travel down her cheek.

Uncomfortable watching this all unfold, Robby cleared his throat, "Who wants hotdogs?"

Ellen raised her hand, understanding that he was trying to get the attention away from the drama. "I could go for one."

Oliver rubbed his stomach, "I could go for like three."

Slowly but surely the rest of the party returned to normal, or as close to normal as it could get. Miley rubbed Lilly's back, trying to calm her shaken girlfriend. Eventually Lilly got control of herself and hugged Miley back.

"Thanks…"

Miley pulled away slightly and kissed Lilly gently, "I'll always be here for you, you know that right?"

Lilly placed her head on Miley's shoulder, "I know… I just wish my dad would be, too."

"He'll come around, Lilly. Just give him time." Miley dropped her arms, "We should go say hi to Oliver and Mickey."

Lilly gave a watery chuckle. "Don't let her hear you."

Mikayla wandered up to them with a plate in one hand and a soda in the other. "Hi…"

Miley was deeply surprised at how calm, almost shy, Mikayla seemed. "Hi, Mikayla. I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Miley, and this is Lilly."

Lilly leaned close to Mikayla, "She's Hannah. I'm Lola."

Miikayla rolled her eyes, "I think I got that."

"So… what are your intentions with Oliver?" Miley asked quite seriously.

"I…" Mikayla trailed off. She wasn't sure herself. "Well, I'm not going to hurt him."

"You better not."

Mikayla rolled her eyes, "He's a nice guy. It would be like kicking a puppy."

Lilly laced her fingers with Miley's and leaned against her girlfriend. "No, I'd say it's more like kicking a worm."

That elicited a small giggle from Mikayla – it surprised her just as much as it surprised Miley and Lilly. She flushed slightly, not used to being so relaxed around people. Her expression re-soured.

"Well, thanks for inviting me, I guess." She flipped her hair and turned away. Oliver was over chatting with Ellen and she hurried to his side.

"I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that she likes Oliver so much as to be polite to me." Miley shook her head in disbelief.

Lilly shrugged, "Love makes you do funny things."

"Do you love me?" Miley whispered.

"That's a silly question." Lilly returned. "Of course."

"Can you say it?"

"Miley Stewart, I love you." Lilly gazed into Miley's eyes, searching for something. "Can you?"

"Of course! Lilly, I love you… I was just afraid…" Miley couldn't finish her statement.

Lilly paused, thinking. "Afraid I'd leave you again because of my dad?"

Miley shrugged and looked to the ground. Lilly released her grip on Miley's hand and seized the other girl's shoulders. With a tiny shake, she got Miley's attention on her face.

"Miles, I'm not going to leave you again. It was hard the first time and it'll be hard this time. But this time I know what I want. You make me happy and it doesn't matter how hard my dad screams."

Miley had to smile, "I thought he was screeching."

Lilly smiled back. "Fine, he can screech as much as he wants. He's not changing my mind or my heart."

The rest of the barbeque went off without a hitch. As the sunset, Robby Ray set a bonfire aflame in the sand. Bags of marshmallows were brought out, as well as roasting sticks. The kids settled themselves around the fire while the adults stood nearby chatting quietly.

Oliver helped Mikayla set up her first marshmallow. "If you want it really crispy, let it catch on fire."

"Ollie, I've roasted 'mallows before." She reprimanded. He withdrew with an apologetic smile.

"Great." He set himself up and stuck his puffy white treat into the center of the fire. It was flaming instantly. Before he could rescue it, it fell from his stick and burned to death with the logs.

"You're helpless." Mikayla sighed. She roasted her first one perfectly and handed it off to him. He smiled at her winningly.

"Thanks, Mickey."

Groaning, she set to firing up a new one. He wouldn't stop calling her that, no matter how much she complained about it. She had grown to accept it and found that she didn't mind as long as it was only him saying it.

Lilly chuckled as she tried to blow her marshmallow off – she'd been so entertained by the other couple's bantering that she'd accidentally left her marshmallow in too long. Miley didn't even bother putting hers on the fire. Raw marshmallows were good enough for her. At some point during the evening Jackson had come through, snagging a few marshmallows on his way home from working at Rico's.

The fire died down eventually – but there wasn't anybody awake enough to care. Lilly was curled up in Miley's lap, dead to the world. Miley was vaguely awake, running her hands through Lilly's limp hair. Beside her sat Oliver and Mikayla, Oliver between Mikayla's legs. His head was on her shoulder and his mouth was slightly agape as he snoozed.

"Hannah, or Miley, or whoever you are…" Mikayla whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping friends. "…thanks for trusting me."

Miley shrugged, "It's no big."

Mikayla didn't respond verbally again, though she couldn't help but think that she'd found a great set of people to be her friends, if they'd have her. Eventually, Oliver's parents came over and shook Oliver awake. They left with Mikayla, leaving Ellen talking with Robby and Dolly, and Lilly still slumbering on Miley.

"I just don't know what to do about him…" Ellen sighed, cradling her cup of hot chocolate between her palms for warmth.

"I'm not one to give him advice. I guess you just have to let him cope with it. She tried talking to him, you tried… It's all up to him, now."

She sighed. "I know this is hard on Lilly. She loves him so much, always has. I mean, he taught her how to ride a bike, helped her learn to tie her shoes. He's always supported her before."

Robby stared up at the sparkling night sky. "She's a strong kid. I'm sure she'll learn to live with it."

"That's the thing, Rob. I don't want her to 'learn' to live with it." Ellen felt like crying.

Dolly rubbed Ellen's shoulder. "Now, Ellen, all you can do is make sure that Lilly knows you love her no matter what. As long as she has you, she'll be fine."

Ellen wiped her eyes and set her cup aside. "I should get Lilly home. It's getting late and it is a school night."

Robby nodded, "If you ever need people to talk to, I'm sure Dolly and I would listen. Lilly's welcome here anytime."

Ellen picked Lilly up and carried her home – Miley missed the warmth of Lilly's body and hurried up to her bedroom to regain some heat under her blankets. Robby poured sand on the fire, dousing it safely. He checked on Miley after cleaning up the backyard; Miley was sound asleep. Tucking her in, he kissed her forehead, wondering idly how Ed could ever be so judgmental of his own daughter.

Wednesday went slowly, way too slowly for Miley. Lilly was slightly down during the school day and Miley desperately wanted to turn that frown upside down. She knew she'd find a way later in the evening at the dance but it was almost painful for her to watch Lilly and know there was something wrong. After school was over, Miley sought Lilly out before they left and hugged her tightly. Lilly gratefully clung to her.

"Do you want to get ready together tonight?" Miley asked – half of her wanted them to do this together, the other half wanted to surprise Lilly with her suit. She'd had it tailored down to her size; the shoulders had been a little wide.

"No, no. My mom promised to help with my hair and make-up and stuff." Lilly released Miley from her death grip hug. "Do you need my help?"

Miley shook her head, "I want it to be a surprise for you. Can you come by my house at like six-thirty? I'm sure my dad will want to take pictures."

"Can my mom take pictures, too? She was asking about it." Lilly shrugged apologetically.

"Sure. Might as well get as many pictures as we can. Who knows when I'll be wearing a suit again." Miley pulled away from her Lilly and smiled sneakily, "Unless you like it."

Lilly blushed a faint pink. "We'll see."

Miley parted from Lilly and hurried home. She wanted to look perfect for the evening. It was still a few hours away from the dance, so she first decided to eat a little snack and watch some television while she could still wrinkle her clothing. The suit wrinkled easily and she needed it to be perfect.

At around five o'clock she hurried up to Hannah's closet and started getting ready. She first donned the pair of black suit pants and ran a roller over them to make sure no stray hairs clung visibly to the fabric. She grabbed some ace bandages and grit her teeth. She pushed the air from her lungs to make sure she didn't put it on too loosely and started binding herself down. The mild pain that accompanied it was nothing like she expected and gradually she grew used to the pressure on her chest. After finishing off the roll of bandages she threw on a light white under shirt followed by a formal white blouse. Before putting the jacket on, she went to her bathroom and messed with her hair for a while, trying to get it to stay out of sight.

Pretty soon she realized her solution – a hat would cover it nicely. Luckily she had a formal black top hat from a Hannah charity performance. She settled it onto her head and snapped her mask into place. Smiling at her image in the mirror she nodded; she looked sharp. More importantly, though, she looked like a boy. A pretty boy, but a boy nonetheless. She fixed a sky blue tie around her neck and draped the jacket over her arm. She squared her shoulders in an attempt to appear more manly.

She went to her room and rescued the two tickets she had bought. Tucking them into the inner pocket of the suit jacket she hid them away for later. She pulled a pair of high heels for Lilly out of Hannah's closet and found herself a pair of nice black flat shoes. She headed downstairs where Robby was waiting with the camera. At the bottom of the stairs, a flash went off, leaving her nearly blinded by the light.

"Daddy!" Miley rubbed her hands over her eyes.

"You look nice, bud. You'd look good in a dress, too…" He hinted. Over the past few days he'd been trying to convince her through the means of small verbal hints and suggestions that she should at least discuss coming out with Lilly. He knew that hiding their relationship was probably a strain at times.

"Lilly's the girl this time." Miley sighed. She couldn't wait for Lilly to arrive in that lovely blue dress.

He shrugged, not willing to say more. "I'd ask you to pose with Jackson, but the darn boy already left. He didn't look half as gentlemanly as you."

Miley chuckled, "I think I'm a better boy than he is."

Dolly entered the room, smirking, "Miles, you're a girl… Of course you're better at bein' a man."

"Aunt Dolly, how do I look?" Miley flaunted her suit in a feminine way completely unbefitting her new gender role.

"Very fine, sweet pea." Dolly clapped her hands in approval. "I can't wait to see Lilly next to you."

They didn't have to wait long; Lilly knocked on the front door. Miley rushed to open it, eager to lay eyes on her date. The door wouldn't open quickly enough for her, but when it did, Miley could only gape. The reaction, though, seemed to be mutual.

Lilly's jaw dropped open, "Miley… is that you?"


	23. Uncovering the Truth

**The story is winding down now; Only a few more chapters. Twenty-five is going to be the epilogue. I'm still working out what's going into the final chapter, the next one, so once again, I'll state that I'm accepting requests for the final chapter. As far as the last chapter goes, there'll be some Jake Ryan time, some Liley fluff, and a little closure. I hope. Perhaps a little more Mikiver, if I feel the urge. The epilogue should be up by Thursday evening at the lastest.**

**Oh! By the by -- many, many thanks to Liz (Lizdacious) for a lovely piece of art to supplement Miley and Lilly's get-ups:**

http://i4(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/y108/foamsinmouth/img001.jpg

**---**

_Feel the fear and do it anyway. _ - Susan Jeffers

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Lilly's jaw dropped open, "Miley… is that you?"

"It's Marcus tonight." Miley responded. She spun in a circle, showing off her tuxedo. Her chest was pinned down and her hair was pinned up beneath a formal top hat. The black mask covered her facial features nicely.

"You look… hot…" Lilly was still gaping like a fish. Of all the girls she knew, she would have thought that Miley was the last one who would look good in a suit. But the longer she stared with her mouth open, the better Miley looked. Miley's slim stature made the tuxedo fit perfectly, although the suit had probably been altered.

Miley blushed slightly but it wasn't noticeable under the mask, "As do you."

Lilly reached up to hold onto her locket. Her hair was hanging airily around her face; it had taken hours to get it to look just right and tons of hairspray to make it stay. Her sapphire stud earrings glinted nicely from her earlobes and their sparkle was matched only by her smile. Though her eyes were covered by the mask, she'd used make-up to accentuate her glossy lips.

It was then they remembered that there were other people around. Ellen entered the living room with her camera clutched tightly in her hands. Robby had them stand together as the two adults took pictures. Dolly, for her part, reorganized the two girls into good picture poses. All in all it took nearly fifteen minutes for both parents to be satisfied.

The last picture left Miley standing behind Lilly, arms wrapped around Lilly's waist. She tilted her face down to kiss Lilly's shoulder.

"Should we… go to the dance?" Lilly whispered.

"Sure." Miley bowed, sticking to her guise as a gentleman. She offered her arm and Lilly accepted it.

"So… Marcus, huh?"

"How many boys do you know with the name Miley?"

Lilly chuckled, "None. But then again, you're the only female Miley I know."

Miley leaned in and kissed Lilly's nose. Lilly couldn't restrain her smile.

"I'd hope so. Roxy's wanted to clone me for protection and I was afraid maybe she'd actually done it."

Lilly snuggled closer as they neared the school. "I wish we could be this open all the time."

Miley stiffened slightly. "I know."

The music was blaring from the school and Lilly dropped the conversation as Miley held the door open for her. There was a teacher collecting tickets near the entrance to the gym and Miley handed over their two. They were admitted without question, though Miley did get a suspicious glance from the staff.

"Shall we dance?" Miley whispered, running her lips along Lilly's cheek.

"Can we find Oliver and Fay first?" Lilly asked.

Miley shrugged, "If that's what you want?"

They turned and gazed around the packed gym. It was a swarm of guys in suits; finding Oliver would be like trying to find a strand of hay in a needle stack.

"Call Oliver's cell phone." Lilly suggested. She didn't wait for Miley to react, though, as she pulled her own phone out and dialed. "I just hope he can hear his ring tone."

"I'm sure he put it on vibrate anyways." Miley reasoned; then she realized who they were trying to reach and sighed. Correcting herself, she said, "I hope he hears the ring tone."

Lilly shook her head, "No answer."

"What's next?" Miley eyed the dance floor. She really wanted to dance with Lilly but after Lilly turned her down earlier, she wasn't going to suggest it again until Lilly asked her.

"We find where the food is."

Miley grinned, "And where there's food, there's Oliver."

Lilly shrugged, "I was actually just kinda hungry."

"Lilly!" Miley laughed out loud. "Can I get you some punch, my dear?"

"Sure. I'll stay right here, so you can find me when you get back."

Miley headed for where she had seen the big bowl of punch. She waded through thick crowds of people and struggled to keep her hat in place. Successful in her endeavor, Miley grabbed two paper cups and filled them with fruit punch. Vaguely she wondered if anybody had spiked the punch, but wrote it off as silly worry. She tried a sip of the liquid but found she couldn't tell if anything was wrong with it.

Lilly, meanwhile, had fended off quite a few lonely males as they approached her in hopes of dancing with her. She had turned them all down, politely, but hoped Miley would return soon. The boys didn't think her date really existed and had gathered around her expectantly.

"Marcus!" Lilly called as soon as Miley was within hearing distance, "Marcus, come here!"

Miley hurried back as soon as she saw the pack of hungry males. She pushed them aside and handed Lilly the drink.

"Here, Lilly. I hope these guys weren't bothering you." Miley tried to make her voice an octave deeper. The other males grumbled but left the couple alone.

"Did you see Oliver anywhere?" Lilly asked.

"No…" Miley shook her head. She gave another glance through the packed gym and almost lost her balance, "You'll never guess who I see dancing!"

Lilly stared around wildly, "Who?!"

"Jake Ryan and Sarah!" Miley laughed raucously.

"Wouldn't have seen that one coming!" Lilly agreed. "So we've found Jake. It shouldn't be that hard to find Oliver…"

They returned to their search, weaving between people wherever there was room. Eventually they found Oliver; he was in the middle of the dance floor. His arms were practically pinned on Mikayla because of the people around them, but she didn't seem to mind much. Lilly reached forward and tapped his shoulder.

"Lillster and…" Miley's name died on his lips, "What do we call you?"

Mikayla clucked, her way of laughing without making a scene, "Milton?"

"Marcus." Miley stated, indignant. "I think it's a good name."

Mikayla flicked a hand at her, "If you want…"

"So…" Oliver glanced at Mikayla, obviously wanting to return to the dance, "Nice seeing you guys."

Lilly grinned devilishly, "Oliver, you dog. I hope you use protection."

Oliver's face turned bright tomato red. "Lilly! I wasn't going… too soon! Stop it!"

Mikayla gripped his shoulders, "Ignore them. Pay attention to me."

Lilly couldn't help but giggle madly. Miley rubbed Lilly's arm, trying to get Lilly's attention back.

"Now can we dance?"

"Yeah…" Lilly replied reluctantly. Miley took note of the tone, but said nothing, at first. A few minutes past without comment and Miley relaxed. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lilly when a slow song came blasting through the speakers.

"Lilly… why don't you want to dance with me?"

Lilly rested her head on Miley's shoulder, not wanting to talk about it. She knew she had to, though. "I'm just kinda frustrated, that's all."

Miley swayed in time with the music, not letting her sudden panic affect her beat. "About what?"

"You act so nice when nobody knows we're together. But as soon as it's us and not, well, Annah-hay and Ola-lay, you flip some sort of switch and I can't touch you." Lilly whispered. "I feel like I'm the on-again-off-again girlfriend."

Miley winced slightly. "I'm sorry… I didn't know I was doing that."

Lilly rubbed her nose on Miley's neck. "I just wish we could be open about us."

Miley bit her lower lip; her heart rate quickened in response to her thoughts – maybe being open would be okay. There would always be people like Mr. Truscott who frowned on their relationship, but there were bound to be people like Robby, Mrs. Truscott, Dolly, Oliver… the good list seemed never ending. Miley knew Robby had been hinting at this for a while now and she wished she'd listened to him.

Oliver bumped into her from behind, skewing her hat on her head. It seemed to finalize her decision. She pulled her arms from Lilly and reached up to her hat. Pulling it off, she flung it into the crowd, knowing that nobody would know where it came from. She shook her long brunette hair out and returned her arms to Lilly's sides. Lilly stared at her blankly.

"Marcus… what are you doing?"

"I'm done hiding, Lilly." Miley snuggled close. "You want an open relationship, you got it."

Lilly flushed slightly and returned Miley's tight embrace, "Aren't you worried about what they'll say?"

"Yes," Miley admitted honestly, "But as long as I've got you and you've got me and we've both got Oliver, I think we'll be okay."

Oliver glanced over his shoulder and nearly had a heart attack, "Marcus! Your hat!"

Miley turned her head, "I don't need it."

Mikayla nodded to her, providing her approval, though she'd never say it out loud. Miley nodded back. A few seconds passed and in that time Miley found that she had the three best friends she could ever ask for – it didn't occur to her that it was strange that Mikayla now counted as a best friend.

Miley turned her mouth to Lilly's neck, kissing the open surface gently. Lilly interrupted the affection by putting her lips in the way. Her hands rose from Miley's arms to Miley's neck, tangling in Miley's now loose hair. She let her mouth open just barely wide enough to deepen the kiss.

It made her feel like a summer breeze – Miley was going to be open about her! No more secrets, no more hiding. Lilly thought that she could walk on air. In her mind's eye she pictured life after winter break: perhaps they'd sneak in a kiss during the passing periods, like Lilly'd seen every other couple at the school do, or maybe they'd hold hands as they walked to class.

Mikayla sniffed, nearly disgusted with their soppy display of love. It made her want to retch, the cuteness of it. To take her attention off it, she leaned in and kissed Oliver soundly – he nearly fell over. It was their first kiss together and he was more than thrilled. And, as he found out, she really knew how to kiss. He was one happy chap when she pulled away and flushed.

"Fay… has anyone ever told you that you're amazing?" He whispered, eyes sparkling happily.

"Of course." She tilted her nose into the air. "Basically by everyone I meet."

"Oh…" He lost a little of his steam. It was meant to be a compliment.

She softened when she saw his reaction, "But not by anybody as special as you."

In an instant, his unruly grin was back. "Thanks."

"This goes nowhere, got it? What's said to you, stays with you." She stared at him, testing his will with her eyes.

He shrugged, not looking for a fight, "Of course."

"I guess you can talk it over with them." Mikayla jerked her head in the direction of Miley and Lilly.

Oliver blushed, "Thanks, Fay."

"And I was thinking… how would Mike like to be Mikayla's official boyfriend?" She'd been thinking about this for a while. It would be a good way to stop all those stupid men from hitting on her and give her a reason to be with Oliver in public.

"Mike would love that." Oliver suddenly felt ten feet tall.

"But you're going to have to meet with my personal stylists. Your outfits generally look like you traded clothing with a stage manager from one of Hannah's concerts." She complained softly. "And Mikayla can't be seen with anything less than perfection."

Oliver's shoulders drooped. "I'm trying my hardest…"

"Oliver, you're fine. It's just your clothing." Mikayla assured him. "Just don't do anything too embarrassing when we're in public."

"You've got it, captain." He nearly saluted before realizing they were still dancing.

"And besides, if you don't look good, I'll get shown up by Miley again. Miley's got gorgeous arm candy, so I need some too." She raised her eyebrows expectantly, "Can you do that?"

"What? Be a piece of candy? Or just look smokin'?" He teased.

"You know what I mean."

"You know what they call me." Oliver smirked and bobbed his head slightly, "Smokin' Oken. Smokin' by name, smokin' by looks."

"Cut it out." Mikayla riposted, "You're embarrassing me."

"So no more Smokin' Oken?" He asked – she shook her head. "How about the Ollie Trollie?"

"No."

"Triple O?"

"No."

"Mr. Malibu?"

"No… How do you even have that title?" She chuckled. "I don't even want to know."


	24. Satisfied

**The final chapter of the main story line is here. There are a few loose ends in here that stay loose, but I promise they'll come up in the sequel when I get to writing it. The epilogue, like I said, should be up by Thursday evening. It's taking me a little longer to write it, since I'm trying to make it sound the way I want it to. I got my quotes, on a side note, from a website called QuotationsPage. All the quotes but this one.**

---

_And I'd be the best friend  
You'd fall in love with  
In the end we'd be laughing  
Watching the sunset  
Fade to black _

- If We Were a Movie

---

The dance wound down slowly as people began to get tired and drifted home. Miley was willing to stay all night, if that's what Lilly wanted, but Lilly was more interested in finding some where more private. As they headed for the gym doors with Oliver and Mikayla in tow, Miley found herself face to face with Jake Ryan.

He glanced her over, taking in her suit and her hand clasped with Lilly's. "Miley, can we talk?"

Miley exchanged a look with Lilly. Lilly shrugged and gave Miley a small push in the right direction. "Go ahead, Miles. I'll just be outside with Oliver and… Fay."

Miley cleared her throat nervously, "I saw you were dancing with Sarah earlier. Interesting choice, Jake."

"We're… it's nothing. She just looked lonely… But she left halfway through the dance to take the night shift at an old folk's home." Jake stared her dead in the eyes. "Miley, you look great, even in a suit."

"Thanks?" She was getting a feeling of dread pooling in her stomach. His compliment was absurd – he shouldn't be complimenting her like that. "Look, my date is waiting outside…"

"Lilly was your date, right?" Jake nodded, "She won't be hurt if you go for a walk with me."

"Jake, I can't. You know there's nothing between us. You know I'm with Lilly now."

He looked at her blankly, "Lilly is Lola?"

Miley rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Look, Miley, we both know this is just some phase of yours. I'll be waiting for you." He took her silence as an opening to swoop in and press his lips tightly against hers. Smirking, he winked at her and left her standing in the nearly empty gymnasium.

Her fingers strayed up to her lips as she frowned – Jake just didn't know when to give up. Well, she figured, there was nothing else she could do at the moment to turn him down. Slightly frustrated, she left the dance and found her friends waiting outside. The night air was cool, but not to the point where they'd require jackets.

"So… we've still got some time to burn," Oliver quipped when Miley rejoined the group, "What do you girls want to do?"

All three answered at the same time –

"Movie!"

"Food!"

"Park!"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Fay wants to go to the movies, Lilly wants food, and Miley wants to go to the park. Sounds reasonable."

Miley chuckled, "Well, if Lilly wants food, I'll go to a restaurant with her. You and Fay could catch a movie while we eat, and we can all meet at the park afterwards."

Mikayla nodded shortly – the arrangement was satisfactory. "I like that."

Lilly beamed, "Way to go Miley!"

"So we'll meet at McCallister Park in three hours, okay?" Miley asked Oliver, who nodded in response.

Oliver patted his pockets, trying to remember if he'd brought his wallet with him. Luck smiled down on him – it was safely tucked into his jacket. "What do you want to see?"

The two wandered down the sidewalk, heads close together. Lilly resisted the urge to whistle loudly. Instead, she turned to Miley and smiled.

"So what did Jake want?"

Miley's shoulders drooped, "Me."

Lilly looked positively outraged. "You? But… but you're mine!"

"Don't worry. I told him no. I told him we're together. He wasn't happy." Miley decided to omit the kiss. She felt it was unnecessary to get Lilly riled up after an otherwise perfect evening.

"He better not touch you." Lilly warned, though she was preaching to the choir. There was a niggling doubt festering in her mind, however. "You wouldn't leave me for him, would you?"

"Never! He's such a self-absorbed jerk." Miley complained. "He'd never take me seriously, like you do. He wouldn't have time for me, like you do. He'd never love me, like you do."

Lilly smiled at Miley, but inside she wasn't entirely sure. What if Jake changed? What if he wanted Miley so badly that he'd actually change? Past experience had proven that he was thick-skulled and wouldn't follow through, even if he tried to change, but it was worrisome.

"Lillian Truscott. I would never leave you for Jake Ryan, or any other living person on this planet. Maybe a dead one… If he was hot enough…" Miley joked.

"Miley…" Lilly wished Miley would take this more seriously.

"Look, Lilly, I love you, you love me, right? Right. So that's all I could ever ask for." Miley soothed, "What kind of food do you want? Remember, though, that I can't get us instant reservations right now."

"That's okay. Anywhere is fine." Lilly rubbed her stomach, "Actually, I'm not that hungry. Can we just go to the park?"

As they walked towards their destination, Miley tried to keep a conversation afloat between them.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I like the stars… They're very… er… starry."

"Yeah."

"Little cold, though."

"I guess."

"You're pretty."

"Yeah."

"Lilly, I know you're not listening to me." Miley walked slowly, quite hurt by Lilly's actions.

"Yeah." Lilly blinked suddenly, snapping out of her reverie. "Oh, Miley, I'm sorry."

Miley shook her head. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately."

"I'm just scared, Miley." Lilly admitted hesitantly. "I mean, Jake's clearly interested in you, and you're really cute, and nice, and you've probably got guys going for your attention all the time, and I trust you not to do anything, but I don't think I trust them, and I don't want you hurt…"

"Lils, nothing bad is going to happen. When we go back to school in January, there will be people acting stupidly, but we'll get through it." Miley broke off her speech when the playground of the park came into sight, "I'll race you to the swings!"

Lilly smiled – Miley was definitely not a runner, so this race would be too easy. "You're on!"

They both broke into a sprint with Lilly pulling into an early lead. She slowed herself down to let Miley catch up. Feigning like she was running her hardest, Lilly kept even with Miley only to fall behind at the end giving the win to Miley.

"Lilly, I know you're faster than me," Miley chided, trying to catch her breath properly. "But that was sweet of you…"

Lilly grinned, "I claim the tire swing!"

While Lilly clambered in, Miley stood behind the rubber contraption and waited patiently until Lilly was safety aboard. She gave it a few good shoves to get Lilly really going before turning tail and dashing to the main jungle gym. Jumping quickly, she raced to the top of the metal tower and spread her arms to the night sky.

"I claim this tower in the name of Queen Miley!" She giggled foolishly.

Lilly tried to get off the tire, but found that it had spun her too much for her to see straight. She ended up falling into the woodchips and sitting there for several moments as her vision steadied. As soon as she was ready, she sprang to her feet and ran to the jungle gym.

"You shall never claim this land!" She hollered up at Miley. Miley turned her attention from the stars down to the blonde girl ten feet below.

"And who are you to stop me?"

"I am Lady Lillian! I was born to rule this land!" Lilly began to climb the structure. "My father conquered this land way before you got here!"

Miley chuckled and turned to climb down the other side. If it was a chase Lilly wanted, a chase Lilly would get. She jumped the last few feet down and took off for the monkey bars. Lilly reached the top and shook her fist at Miley's back. Hot in pursuit, she slid down and darted away. Sensing her imminent danger, Miley skipped the bars and just ran for the grassy area surrounding the playground. Vaguely remembering that she was in formal wear, she tumbled down and waited for Lilly to catch up.

Lilly hit the ground next to her, panting madly. "I'm going to fight you to the death, oh false queen."

Miley shoved her gently, "Oh no! You aren't man enough." She dusted off her suit jacket, "And we both know how manly I can be."

Lilly laughed derisively. "Well, you'll let your guard down eventually and then I'll strike."

Miley raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She lunged forward and pinned Lilly to the grass. "Like that?"

Lilly sighed, "No! You can't defeat me!"

Miley chuckled. "I guess the only good solution is marriage."

"Oh, Miley, I thought you'd never ask."

Dropping the game, Miley leaned forward and kissed Lilly's cheek. "Lilly, are you feeling better now?"

"Yes." Lilly wished Miley would kiss her again. It was moments like that when Lilly knew they'd be together forever. She didn't have to worry about Miley finding someone new.

"We've still got like two hours before Oliver and Mikayla show up…" Miley whispered suggestively.

Lilly tried to roll over and switch their positions but met with resistance. Miley wasn't willing to give up her dominant stature. One pleaded look from Lilly weakened her resolve, though, and she gave in. Once on top, Lilly wasted no time soundly kissing Miley. Her dress proved frustrating, though, and soon enough Miley pushed her back down.

She slid her knee along Lilly's as far as the dress would permit. Lilly's hands found their way onto Miley's waist, holding Miley steady. As Miley pulled away for a breath of fresh air, Lilly gazed up at her lovingly. Her hands stayed in place and after a moment, Lilly tried to pull Miley back down to her lips. Miley took a side trip, though, and set her attention on Lilly's neck.

Lilly groaned softly, not used to this kind of attention. Her hands dropped to her side weakly. Miley took that as a good sign and continued. Even if she'd had her mind together, Lilly wouldn't have had Miley stop. Miley dipped lower, kissing along Lilly's bare chest, going the edge of Lilly's dress. Pausing, Miley glanced up to meet Lilly's gaze – Lilly's eyes were half shut and glazed. Miley let her fingers trail up to the edge of the dress, sliding under the edge.

"Miley!" Oliver hollered. "Lilly!"

Miley flinched and drew back. "What?"

"What are you two doing down there… Oh. Oh! I'll come back." Oliver had approached a few minutes earlier, trying to spot his two best friends on the off chance they'd skipped dinner. Mikayla hadn't wanted to see any of the movies playing at the nearest theater so Oliver decided they could just go straight to the park.

"Where are they, Ollie?" Mikayla grabbed his arm. He quickly positioned himself between Mikayla and Miley and Lilly.

"Um. There." He pointed behind him, "They'll join us in a moment."

Miley gave Lilly a hand up with a disappointed smile. Lilly sat up and dusted her dress off. "Miles, can we talk?"

"Yeah, of course." Miley waved to Mikayla before holding up her forefinger to signify it would be a moment.

"It's just… I kind of don't feel ready to go… well… all the way yet." Lilly stared at the grass bashfully, "I mean, I really love you and I like kissing you but…"

"It's okay, Lils, I understand." Miley tipped Lilly's chin up with delicate fingers. "We have years ahead of us. I shouldn't have pushed you."

Lilly flung her arms around Miley. "Yeah. We have years."

Oliver laughed loudly at something Mikayla said and Miley tugged Lilly along to meet up with the other couple. Miley felt, at that moment, that if she had another shooting star to wish on, she'd have to wish for the evening to never end.


	25. Christmas

**I got the epilogue done, and in doing so managed to find a huge mistake in my writing. One little tiny insignificant thing that'll drive me batty. I had this set up that Lilly's brother was working before he went to college, but I set the story at the end of November. Unless he's starting the in January, that doesn't make sense. I'm going to go cry in the corner. ...**

**As a side note -- I've started the sequel and it's already got me depressed. I won't be posting it until I have my previously started stories wound up, but it's going to be a bumpier ride than this was.**

---

_To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides_. - David Viscott

---

Lilly stared at the little box in her hands, wondering if her gift would ever measure up. It was a small trinket, something she'd forgotten about until doing her laundry. In one of her pairs of water shorts she'd discovered a small pink shell, about the size of a quarter. After much consideration, Lilly had gone to a jeweler and requested a small hole be drilled through the top and a chain laced through it.

It was small, it was seemingly insignificant, but to Lilly it represented the day she realized that she did have feelings for Miley. She didn't expect Miley to understand it, but this shell was something special. It had been placed into a small padded box for safe keeping and wrapped in flashy green paper. Lilly had used a few strands of red ribbon to fashion a bow to tape on top.

One thing she really appreciated was that Miley had agreed with her on one key fact – their Christmas exchange wasn't going to be extravagant this year just because their relationship had changed. Miley expected nothing from Lilly, and Lilly expected nothing from Miley.

Lilly was spending Christmas Eve with the Stewarts, even going so far as to sleepover. Christmas morning she'd head home for Christmas morning with her family and then Miley, Jackson, and Robby Ray would join the family for Christmas dinner. That was the part Lilly was most anxious about – the group hadn't re-gathered after the nearly catastrophic barbeque and even now, Lilly walked on eggshells around her father.

Ed, for his part, was trying his hardest not to bring it up. If Miley came up in conversations, he'd duck his head or look away, not contributing his opinion. Lilly was grateful for his effort, but she couldn't help but feel it wasn't enough. It was nice he wasn't being verbally abusive of the relationship, but he wasn't accepting it, either.

Startled from her thoughts by her cell phone, Lilly picked up the annoying device and answered it was a wide smile and pleasant voice.

"Hey, Miles."

"Hiya, Lils. I can't wait for tonight!" Miley was sitting on her bed, staring at the small box in front of her. It was early December twenty-fourth and she was anxiously awaiting her time with Lilly. Her own gift was very small, but she hoped Lilly liked it.

"Well, it's almost three. I'll be over in like two hours." Lilly rubbed her fingers on her wrapped package.

"I just couldn't wait that long to hear your voice…" Miley chuckled. They'd come a long ways since dance. Since they'd chosen to become more open, there was a lot less tension between them. If one of them wanted a kiss, she got it. If one of them wanted a hug, she got it.

"You're sweet." Lilly sighed. "You know I'd be over there right now if I could be."

Miley switched the phone from one ear to the other, "I know, love. It's too bad that…"

"My mom is still hoping he'll get over it." Lilly set her gift down beside her. Mr. Truscott had been hard to convince about this whole holiday set up. He didn't want Lilly over at the Stewarts more than necessary; he especially didn't want Lilly sleeping over there. It seemed like he thought Robby Ray was just going to let them do whatever they wanted together.

"Does it bother you?" That was Miley's biggest concern. She had already accepted the fact that Mr. Truscott wasn't going to be supportive but she knew it was a strain on Lilly.

"Yeah, I think it always will." Lilly sighed. "But I can live with it."

"I love you." Miley murmured – her mood had plummeted slightly.

"You, too." Lilly returned. "I'm going to go hang with my mom for a little while. I'll see you at five."

"Okay… Bye, babe." Miley hung up moments after Lilly had responded with a goodbye of her own. She fingered her present and relaxed slightly. If only there was something she could do about Lilly's dad.

She tucked her phone into her pocket and got to her feet. A picture of Lilly grinned at her from her bedside table and it helped bring back some of her holiday spirit. Greatly cheered, Miley headed downstairs. The Christmas tree was perched by the piano. It was heavily laden down with ornaments hanging off every available branch.

A stack of presents sat at the trunk, ranging from golf-ball sized to almost tall enough to reach Miley's waist. Receiving gifts wasn't the reason she loved the holiday so much, though. She loved Christmas because of the togetherness that came with it. It seemed to bring the best out in people. Of the gifts under the tree were two small packages from Miley – one for Oliver, as usual, and one for Mikayla.

Robby Ray approached from the kitchen with a small plate in his hand. He opened the piano and set it down inside. Miley glimpsed a wedge of cheese on it.

"For Linda." Robby explained. "I thought we should include her. She's practically family, y'know."

Miley smiled and nodded, "I'm sure she thanks you for your kind present."

"So Lilly still set to come over?" Robby knew that the tension with Mr. Truscott hadn't diminished with time. It had dulled slightly, but it was no less damaging to Lilly.

"Yeah. Just got off the phone with her." Miley rubbed her pocket.

"Well, I hope she likes her present. Are you goin' to make her wait til tomorrow?"

Nodding her head, Miley blushed slightly, "I wanted to pull her aside privately tomorrow night. It's kinda personal, and all…"

"Don't worry about me an' Jackson. We'll leave you be." Robby had to wonder about what the gift was – Miley had been so secretive about getting it. He knew it was bound to be something special, but he couldn't guess as to what it was.

"Thanks."

Their conversation was cut off as Jackson laughed a little too loudly from his seat on the couch. Bits of popcorn dropped from his gaping mouth as he pointed at the television with one hand and slapped his thigh with the other.

"Dat's sho funny!" He cracked up. Miley glanced over his shoulder, trying to figure out what the heck he was watching. Jackson finished off the popcorn in his mouth so he could talk better. "That Charlie Brown! That tree isn't nowhere good enough!"

Miley rolled her eyes, "Jackson, you watch this every year. You know that it turns out alright in the end."

"Shush!" Jackson waved a wild hand at her, "You're ruining the end!"

"Leave the boy be," Robby chided her softly, "As long as he's watchin' that, he's outta my hair."

Chuckling, Miley obeyed. "So, Daddy, can I help you with anything? Need help makin' dinner?"

"No, bud. Why don't you go spend some quality time with your brother…?"

"Daddy!" She complained loudly, "Please… anything but that!"

He grinned at her and nodded before heading back to the kitchen. Miley went to the couch and plopped down next to Jackson. She smiled at him hesitantly, unsure of what exactly this would accomplish. He guffawed, completely ignoring her. Feeling so loved, she turned attention to the screen – it was a way to pass the time until Lilly arrived, she reasoned.

The movie ended and Jackson flicked the channel away from ABC – other than their Charlie Brown holiday specials, it held little interest for him. He let the T.V. Guide channel play as he waited for something to catch his interest. Miley stared blankly at the screen, knowing any suggestion she made as to what they watched would be rejected flat-out.

"Miles, can you set the table?" Robby called from the kitchen.

Grateful to be saved from Jackson's land of bad television, she hurried to the kitchen and took out four plates, four sets of silverware, and four glasses. She settled them down onto the festive green placemats at the table. As a finishing touch, she found placed a candle in the center of the table and lit it. Robby Ray set his dishes down on hot pads around the middle of the table for easy access.

"Lilly should get her any minute." Miley practically danced. Christmas just put her in such a good mood. Her mood brightened further as Lilly pushed the door open without bothering to knock.

"Hey Stewarts! Merry Christmas Eve!" She called, smiling broadly and throwing her overnight bag to the ground.

Miley ran to her and hugged her. Lifting slightly, she spun Lilly in a wide circle. Giggling madly, Lilly struggled against the hold.

"Just in time, Lilly." Robby called from the kitchen, "Dinner's done, table's set."

"I'd come eat if your daughter would put me down!" Lilly directed her comment more at Miley, who immediately set her down.

"Who am I to get between a Lilly and her food?" Miley shrugged her shoulders. "You remind me so much of Oliver sometimes."

"There's a difference." Lilly stated defensively. "He's a sloppy pig, while I am a dignified goat."

"So what's the difference?" Miley questioned.

"Well, pigs eat slop. Goats just eat anything."

"Goats eat garbage, you know that right?"

"So I'm a tiger shark?"

"They eat garbage, too."

Lilly fell silent, brooding. "Fine. I eat like a Lilly."

"I can accept that." Miley pranced to the table and pulled Lilly's chair out for her. Once Lilly was seated, Miley helped push her close to the table.

"Gee, Miley, such a gentleman."

Miley blushed, "Only for you."

"If you two are done with your little yuck-fest…" Jackson peered at them.

"Don't mind him. He's just upset 'cause he can't get a girl." Miley explained to Lilly, ignoring his indignant cries.

"Miley," Robby warned. "Let's start this dinner."

Miley took her seat and soon the large meal that Robby had painstakingly put together was gone. Plates filled and emptied quickly and half an hour later, Miley felt that she would burst if she had to eat even one more. By the end of the meal, it had turned into an eating contest between Lilly and Jackson – they both reached for the last scoop of pudding. Glaring daggers at each other, they tested the other's will. Lilly gave in, not because she was full, but because she didn't want to fight for a scoop of pudding.

Robby was the first to speak after Jackson shoved that last bit of food down his throat. "Wow, boy, I didn't know you had all that space in your stomach."

Jackson looked a little queasy, "I didn't either…"

Lilly cackled, "I could eat you under the table."

He ran for the bathroom as Lilly boasted her victory. Miley giggled nervously. For all Miley seemed to be the gentleman in the relationship, Lilly could sure put away food like a boy. Robby shook his head, unsure if he should be worried or not.

"Miles, can you and Lilly help with the dishes. I'd ask Jackson but—" The sounds of retching could be heard from the bathroom. "Well, it's just better if you two help."

Lilly got up wearily. "I feel like I'm pregnant."

Miley smacked her forehead, "Lilly, I've told Oliver so many times to use protection."

They set to work cleaning pots, pans, dishes, silverware, and every other dish Robby set before them. Getting bored, Miley splashed soapy water at Lilly who reacted by turned the spray nozzle on and blasting Miley. Grabbing the dish towel, Miley whapped Lilly on the arm and tried to get away. They collapsed on the counters giggling and wet.

Miley leaned forward, waiting for Lilly to meet her half way in a kiss; Lilly gladly complied. It was sweet and soft and Miley only drew back when she heard Robby returning to the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas, Lils."

Lilly smiled, "It's still only Christmas Eve, Miles. You do know you're going to have to step your game up tomorrow."

"I can do that." Miley promised.

"Do what?" Robby questioned. He spotted the watery mess and sighed. "You girls can set out the cookies for Santa while I dry this up."

Lilly scrunched her eyebrows together questioningly at Miley, "Santa?"

Miley shrugged – their family enjoyed the tradition. She pulled out a fresh plate and glass. Selecting a few different kinds of Christmas cookies, she set out four cookies and a fresh glass of milk on top of the piano.

"Daddy? Me an' Lilly are going to head upstairs okay?"

He nodded, "Don't stay up too late, girls. Remember, he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake…"

"Can do, Mr. S." Lilly grabbed her bag from where she'd abandoned it earlier and pounded up the steps right behind Miley.

Once up in Miley's room, they both changed into pajamas and crawled into Miley's bed. They had no intentions of sleeping, though; instead, they nestled close together and chatted quietly with the lights out. Miley, for one, wasn't about to start anything romantic between them in the bed because she was fully intent on listening to Lilly's wishes to wait. When it happened between them, it would be when both of them were ready. Near eleven o'clock, Miley finally dozed off. Lilly smiled and yawned slightly. She snuggled closer and let her own eyes fall shut.

Morning light peeked through Miley's large windows, rousing Miley from a pleasant dream. She hugged her teddy bear closer to her body, enjoying the soft scent that it had clinging to it. It smelled oddly like Lilly's hair. Her eyes adjusted to the light and a smile crept onto her face – waking up next to Lilly was great, she had to admit. During the night she had managed to spoon Lilly, locking her knees behind Lilly's and draping a heavy arm over Lilly's side.

"Lilly… Lilllllly… LILLY!" Miley tried whispering. She tried using a moderate, but sing-song tone. And finally, in a last ditch effort, Miley let loose a loud yell. Lilly shot out of bed like a bat out of hell, eyes wide and body quivering.

"I swear! I didn't hide the rubber ducky!" She cried, staring around the room wildly. Her eyes settled on Miley and an intense blush started at her ears and filled her face, "Um…"

"Merry Christmas, Lilly!"

Lilly smiled widely, "Oh! That's right! Merry Christmas, Miles!"

"I hate to break it to you, Lilly," Miley sat up and pulled her covers aside, "But you'll have to wait to open your gift until later tonight. I need to give it to you in private."

Lilly pouted slightly, but nodded, "Well, you can just wait for yours, too."

"Should we head downstairs?" Miley asked, checking the clock. At seven in the morning, Jackson had probably already ripped through half his presents.

"Can't we just wait here for a little? It's not that I don't want to watch Jackson attacking his presents, it's just that I'd rather spend a little time with you."

Miley clambered on top of the covers she'd just pushed down and pat the area next to her, "Sure thing, jelly bean."

Lilly shot over to her, bouncing on the surface like a hyperactive kangaroo. "Man, I wish it would snow. I mean, we never get snow, but it would be so cool if I could see snow on Christmas."

"Maybe someday we'll take our winter holiday out in Colorado or something," Miley suggested, "We have time to visit everywhere, especially if I can talk daddy into getting a Hannah jet."

"Isn't that expensive and kind of pointless?" Lilly asked. "I mean, you could just as easily charter a first class ticket for much cheaper than owning and keeping up an entire jet."

Miley sighed, "I guess it's the thought behind it. I mean, London Tipton has a jet."

"She's also an airhead heiress." Lilly pointed out.

"But her jet is so cool." Miley wistfully remarked, "But I guess you're right, if you want to be practical… You should have seen her closet. I needed a map and I still got lost around Hat Land."

"She had an entire Land devoted to hats? And I thought Hannah's closet was impressive."

They chattered on for half an hour or so, mostly talking about people Hannah had met and the extravagant lifestyles many of those people had. Lilly envied them but decided that living simply had its advantages. After all, she wasn't chased by fans every time she stepped out the door. Being friends with a celebrity had taught her to value her anonymity.

"Girls! You up?" Robby hollered from downstairs.

"Yeah, daddy! We'll be down in a minute!"

"Good! Pancakes are getting' cold!"

Lilly's face lit up, "Oh! Pancakes!"

Miley leapt off the bed and thundered downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs Lilly brushed past her and took the closest seat. Miley contained her laughter, barely. It was becoming terribly obvious that she'd always take second place in Lilly's life, second only to good food.

"I'm glad one o'you likes my cookin'. I'd say she's a keeper, Mile." Robby joked, "Want some pancakes with your syrup, Lilly?"

She shook her head, "Ha-ha, Mr. S. Very funny. Like I haven't heard that one before."

After breakfast was inhaled – Jackson was feeling much better – Miley and Lilly turned their attention to the still wrapped packages under the tree. Robby Ray had added a few presents over night from 'Santa', along with a few small packages for Lilly. He felt that Lilly was a big part of their family so he and Jackson had gone shopping to pick a few things out.

The first thing the girls unwrapped were from matching packages – they both fell over laughing as they pulled out matching sheep sweaters, very similar to the kitty sweater Miley had received not horribly long ago. They pulled them on in the spirit of the moment and Miley pressed the nose on hers. It baaed obediently and the girls collapsed into giggles.

Several gifts later, Miley and Lilly were feeling all the more holly jolly. The underside of the tree was now covered in discarded paper, plastic, and bows. They'd managed to stick one of the giant red bows onto Jackson's head. He didn't seem to mind while he was in the house, but tore it off as he headed to work.

"I can't believe Rico's making me work on Christmas…" He complained as he rushed out the door. "I mean, who's going to buy hotdogs, water, or sunglasses on Christmas."

Lilly chuckled, "He almost convinced me to come down and buy a water. Almost."

Miley shoved her shoulder playfully, "Oh come on. We might as well. It's Christmas."

Robby gestured to the couch, "Are you girls going to watch some Christmas movies with me?"

Miley gazed at him doubtfully, "Please not A Christmas Story again… We watch that every year and it gets more and more boring every time."

He sighed, "Well, why don't you call Oliver and see if he wants to come over for a while. You have a gift for him, don't you?"

"Yeah. I wonder if Mikayla's with him." She went to the phone and dialed. A few moments later Oliver picked up.

"You've reached Oliver Smokin' Oken… I mean just plain old Oliver. Nothing smokin' here…"

Miley covered the mouthpiece of the phone and called to Lilly, "Yeah, Mikayla's there with him."

He laughed, overhearing her, "How'd you know?"

"Only she could break you of your habit of silly nicknames." Miley laughed. "Look, I was calling to see if you and Mikayla wanted to come over for a few minutes. I have something for both of you."

"Sure! We just finished breakfast over here. Give me a chance to change into something other than my pajamas and we'll be right over." He hung up.

Miley was suddenly struck by inspiration, "Daddy, do we have any mistletoe?"

He shook his head, "Jackson refuses to let any in the house. I guess too many girls broke tradition with the poor boy."

"Well, a sprig of green will have to do. They won't be able to tell." Miley ran onto the back porch and snapped off a few leaves of a nice green plant. She hurried to the front door and enlisted Lilly's help. "Lift me up, will ya?"

"Don't you need something sticky to make it stay?" Lilly asked.

"Good idea!" Miley darted to the kitchen and grabbed the scotch tape. Back at the door she waited expectantly for Lilly to raise her up. Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley's legs and lifted. Using one hand to steady herself on Lilly's shoulder, Miley placed the greenery above the door. Hoping Lilly would keep her safe, Miley took her hand off the shoulder and ripped off a few pieces of tape and stuck those leaves securely in place.

"Looks good." Lilly grunted as she set Miley back on the ground. "Guess what?"

"What?" Miley asked, though she knew what this was about.

"We're under the mistletoe."

Miley glanced at Robby Ray, "Well?"

"I'm going to go get the morning paper… I figure that's like thirty seconds…"

"Thanks, daddy." As soon as he was out the back door, Miley placed her hands on Lilly's waist and pulled Lilly in for a quick kiss. Robby's seconds were always three times faster than everybody else's. Her estimation was right – eleven seconds later, Robby came back in with the paper clenched in his hands.

Miley and Lilly fell on the couch a few moments before Oliver entered with Mikayla. Lilly cackled and pointed above their heads. Oliver spotted the trap first, but made no move to kiss his girlfriend. She stared at him, daring him to try something. He didn't dare.

"Oh come on, Ollie. Be a man." She prodded.

"It's okay with you?"

She rolled her eyes, "No. I don't want my boyfriend kissing me."

"Oh! I get it." He leaned forward and kissed her quickly.

When the initial attack was over, presents were exchanged. Miley was shocked to find that Mikayla had brought something for her as well. Each had given each other a C.D. Miley blushed slightly as Mikayla pulled the wrapping paper off.

"Wow, I've wanted this for a while. How'd you know?"

Miley jabbed a finger at Oliver, "I had him help me."

"That's comical." Mikayla retorted, "I had him help me, too."

Miley opened hers little package to find a C.D. that she had been wanting as well. "Oliver's such a good shopper."

"Well I do have three female best friends." He soaked in the admiration until Mikayla shoved him off balance.

The day continued in good fun and good humor until around six in the evening. Miley and Lilly had taken turns in the shower, cleaning up before heading out with Jackson and Robby to the Truscott residence. Lilly was terribly afraid that her dad was going to try something during dinner. She hoped he would just bite his tongue.

Outside the house, Lilly pulled Miley aside for a moment, "Miles… can we possibly keep the P.D.A. to a minimum in there?"

Miley nodded, "I totally understand. Hands off. Got it."

They entered the house to find Ellen cheerfully cooking it up in the kitchen. Will was in the living room watching football. Jackson joined him in there while the girls went into the kitchen to offer assistance.

Robby found Ed in the backyard, a water bottle clutched tightly in the other man's hand. He sighed – somehow he'd gotten the idea that maybe the man would have changed. Making his presence known, Robby settled down next to the uptight fellow.

"Hello, Ed."

"Robby." Ed stated coldly.

"Look, Ed, I'm not going to tell you what to think, but I'm going to ask you, man to man, not to make a fuss today. It's Christmas. Take a break and enjoy yourself. If it helps, pretend they're not dating, just for today. I know they've already decided not to touch each other in your presence."

Ed took a few deep breaths, "I'm trying. I am."

"I know." Robby waited to see if Ed would continue; Ed did.

"I hate that I can't look at my daughter anymore." He stated blandly. "I know that I'm wrong but I can't change the beliefs I've had all my life so quickly."

"Lilly knows that. She's waiting for you." Robby assured him.

"I just hope she'll wait long enough for me to come around. I know she can't wait forever."

"She would. You're her dad. She loves you."

"Boys, come and get it!" Ellen rang a classic triangle dinner bell, calling the others from their various places in the house.

The meal went well enough. Ed kept his temper in check and managed a few, tense smiles in Miley's direction. Robby's words stayed put in his head and he found that it did help to think of his daughter and Miley was just friends. Lilly couldn't have been happier. To her it seemed like Mr. Truscott was finally coming around. It didn't, however, give her the nerve to touch Miley at dinner. Ed was grateful.

As the evening faded to dusk, Miley pulled Lilly aside, "I think I'm ready to give you the gift now."

Lilly shook her head, "I want to give you mine, first."

"If you really want." Miley wasn't going to complain.

Handing her gift over, Lilly glanced away, filled with nervous energy. Miley would have no idea what this gift truly meant, but Lilly had a little monologue running in her head about how she was going to explain it.

"Lilly… it's beautiful…" Miley cradled the necklace in her hands. "Help me put it on?"

Lilly beamed, "I found it that day you met Jeremy on the beach. It was the day I figured out that I was really jealous of him, well of boys in general, and how they acted around you. I guess it's the day I really started figuring out that I love you."

Necklace in place, Miley placed a thankful kiss on Lilly's cheek, "My turn, now."

Miley dug the box out of her pocket and handed it over to Lilly. She hoped this would mean as much as the elegant shell necklace. Lilly stared at the box in confusion – it was a ring box.

"Miles, I know I said I'd marry you that day at the park, but aren't we a little young?"

Miley stared at her expectantly, "Just open it. And I haven't really proposed yet. That would come after college."

Lilly blushed, "I see."

She tore the paper off the box and flipped the velvet box open to reveal a small silver band, plain except for a small sapphire set in the metal. Curious, Lilly lifted the band free from it's case and stared at it.

"So… if it's not an engagement ring, what is it?"

"I call it a promise ring." Miley whispered. "I promise that I will always love you. I promise never to hurt you purposefully. I promise to support you, no matter what. I promise to always be there for you." She took the ring from Lilly's hand and slid it on Lilly's right-hand ring finger. "And I promise that I will always, always be yours."

Lilly threw her arms around Miley's neck, "And I promise I'll wear every day and never take it off."

Christmas, Miley found, was her favorite holiday. Not because of the gift exchange, but because of how it brought people together.


End file.
